Harvest Requiem
by T. J. Ryan
Summary: Follow thirteen years old Andrew Conyers as he tries to escape Covenant occupied Harvest. Rated M for violence, violence involving a minor, and mild language.
1. Teaser

_This is my first story so please review it. Feedback is priceless for beginners. For fans of the books I'd like to say that I have not read Contact Harvest and therefore there will probably be large discrepancies between it and this story. Live with it. Four chapters have already been completed for this story and the fifth is almost done. Hopefully this will give me a large enough buffer so there won't be large gaps between updates. I'll try to update once every two or three weeks. Also due to the structure of the story some chapters are very long (eighteen single spaced on MSWord) and others very short (5-7). Nothing I could do about that without changing the flow of the story._

_One final warning. This story is rated M for violence and some language. The character is rather young and he goes through some tough times. If you are uncomfortable with any of this maybe this story is not for you. However if you still insist on reading I would suggest skipping the latter half of chapters 1 and 3 (you'll know when) and the first portion of chapter 4 as they involve death and for all purposes torture._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Halo, the Halo Universe, the Spartans, Cortana, the UNSC, ODSTs, or the Covenant._

_Without further ado,_

**Harvest Requiem**

**Teaser**

_Reach_

_CASTLE Base_

_October 5, 2526_

_Classified: EYES ONLY_

"Hello? Is this thing on? [_camera spins wildly_] Red light… red light… where is the damn… Oh. Good, it's on. [_camera steadies and focuses_] Hello, my name is Andrew Conyers. Born February 11, 2511. Son of John and Mary Conyers. Eleven days ago the aliens attacked Gladsheim, Harvest, Epsilon Indi System. Nearly everyone is dead. The survivors, if any, have fled to Utgard. Except me, which as you can see… [_camera is picked up and pointed out a window_] there is no escaping anymore by land… [_camera zooms in_] everything is burning. It's been burning for days now. It's hard enough to survive here but it's impossible out there with no food… I hear something. Be right back [_camera is set down on window sill. Two creatures with shields and G shaped guns enter. After a casual search they leave_]."

"That was close [_camera is picked up and returned to original position_]. I don't know if this thing recorded it but that was a jackal. Nasty things, but not too tough to kill. Gotta hit their hand and then you can get a head shot. Anyway where was I… Oh yeah right… I'm trapped behind lines. I've been able to survive so far. There are very few people left; those that remain aren't exactly the best humanity has to offer. Most are dead now. The aliens have been pretty efficient. Good riddance I say."

"I've pretty much been alone since… since my family died. Aliens came in at night; took the whole city by surprise. You'd think they would've attacked the capital first or something. I hid in an air duct. I watched as… as… they killed them all, right there; even… little... She was only four years old and they… [_individual displays emotional distress_]"

"The aliens are starting to do something. One of their ships has moved overhead. I don't know what for but it's probably not good. There were fewer patrols today than usual and I've seen new guys show up. Huge guys with nearly impenetrable armor and one hell of a cannon for an arm. There's also some lizard like ones who don't seem to like the bears. They seem to be prepping the city for something. Whatever it is I'm not sticking around to find out. I've got a plan and tomorrow I'm putting it into action. I don't know if I'll survive but I want the rest of humanity to know what happened here. I've downloaded all the information I've gotten my hands on and I'll use the satellite launcher tomorrow to send it up. I've attached a distress beacon to it. If you find this warn everyone. They aren't here for conquest; they want to completely annihilate us. You're going to have to fight for your very survival. There's going to be a war and if this is a sample of what's to come it's going to be long and bloody. If anyone finds this don't forget us. I don't know if anyone's going to make it off this planet, but remember us. We were the first casualties. May God help you [_end data stream_]."


	2. Prologue

**Prologue**

"Does anyone still believe people are inherently evil?" A brown haired teen asked.

"Why do you ask that?" an old man answered.

"Look at humanity now. We've built an empire across over eight hundred planets, made huge advances in medicine and technology…"

"What about the rebellions?" another teen asked.

"What about them? It doesn't prove people are bad just that we aren't perfect," the brown haired teen replied.

"So you think Far Isle wasn't evil?" another student asked.

"Misguided maybe, but everyone was doing what they thought was best. I wouldn't call that evil."

"What if we brought our analysis down to an individual level," the old man interrupted, "What would we expect man to be?"

"Look at Harvest. Crime is low, people are healthy, and we feed a dozen systems," the brown haired boy answered.

"But people only follow the laws because they don't want to be punished," the other boy responded.

"They follow them because they want to build a better society," the brown haired teen answered.

"But what if that entails sacrificing oneself for the greater good? All creatures are programmed to survive."

"We aren't animals. We have a conscience, the ability to define morality."

"Then what is the purpose of government?" the old man interrupted.

"To force people into obedience."

"To teach people how to be good citizens," the brown haired teen said.

"Is that not what education is for?" the old man asked. The teen thought for a second before replying.

"Government is needed to organize people to achieve more than they could do separately," he eventually said.

"But if everyone is inherently good then each should realize what must be done to achieve greater things. Any government would at most be a temporary phenomenon," the old man argued.

"Yeah," the other teen answered, "Why would we even need laws if everyone is basically good."

"I think you're confusing the basic human nature with that of societal humans," the old man said, "Tomorrow when we discuss Locke you'll understand the argument much better." An electronic bell sounded signaling the end of class. "Everyone should be done with Hobbes and be moving onto Locke," the old man said as his class packed their tablets, "Pay close attention to how Locke views the state of nature compared to Hobbes."


	3. Day 1: February 11, 2525

**Day 1: February 11, 2525**

"Hey mom," the brown haired teen said as he walked into the kitchen of his home.

"How was school today, Andrew?"

"Alright, we had a good discussion on the true nature of man," he answered. He set his tablet on the kitchen table and took a seat. His green eyes spotted a plum on the bowl in the center and he grabbed it. "A bit early for these," he commented taking a bite.

"The harvest is going to be good this year. Your father expects a bumper crop this quarter. So what was the conclusion of your argument?"

"We didn't really have one but I think the Old Man leans towards the 'humans are basically bad' side," Andrew said.

"And what do you think?" she asked.

"I just don't see humans as being evil at heart. Just look around," he said gesturing with his free hand, "You don't see mayhem and chaos everywhere."

"You're still young," she answered, "You have plenty of time to find what you believe. Speaking of young, have you decided what you want for your birthday yet?"

"How about a trip to Reach?" Andrew asked hurriedly.

"Still want to join the Navy?" she sighed.

"I don't see why you and dad are so against it. He's always railing about how these insurrections are going to ruin the planet."

"We are simple farmers, Andrew. Let the politicians in Utgard ruin themselves. We just grow food and sell it to the hungry."

Andrew took another bite of his plum. "I still think I'd be a great asset for the UNSC. I can pick up languages so fast; I bet ONI would love me."

"I thought you wanted to be an ODST?" his mom said.

"So did I but then I found out I was scared of heights," Andrew answered. His mom gave him a somewhat sad smile.

"I'm just glad your brothers have taken to farming. Now, do you have any requests for dinner tonight?"

"How about whale steaks? We haven't had that in a while," Andrew said.

"I think we have a few left in the ice box. Let me go check," she said, "And you got a letter from your cousins. I put it on your desk." After she left Andrew snatched another plum before heading upstairs to his room he shared with his brother. He pulled up Locke's Second Treatise on his tablet and began reading. Andrew could best be described as average. For his thirteen years, as of today, he was of average height and average weight. He made average grades in school, lived in an average family with a mom, dad, two older brothers and younger sister. Like most teenagers on Harvest he never knew anything but the planting seasons which were the life-blood of this agrarian planet of three hundred thousand. The only un-average thing about him was his ability to pickup languages faster than some AI's and his strong desire to leave Harvest.

"Don't have anymore fruit, you'll ruin your supper," his mom called up.

"Yes ma'am," he answered before taking a bite from the plum. When he was done he spit the pit out the nearby open window. Even though it was winter it wasn't too cold out. Harvest was a fairly mild planet with cool summers and warm winters.

A few minutes later he heard his dad's tractor pulling into the barn and his brothers' laughter as they joked about some incident in the fields. The back door slammed open and the loud thump of heavy boots on hardwood echoed through the house. Andrew turned on his music and turned the volume up trying to ignore the thumping as it approached his room. The door flung open and in walked his brothers.

"I think today is someone's birthday," the oldest said with a mischievous grin.

"Not now guys; I've got to finish this homework," Andrew said.

"My ass. You're not getting off that easy," the younger one said. They both lunged at Andrew. One scooped up the tablet while the other pinned Andrew's arms behind his back.

"Let me go you big oaf," he yelled.

"Fighting only makes it worse," the eldest answered. They both picked the struggling teen up and began carrying him downstairs.

"Mom, tell them to stop!" he shouted as they passed the kitchen.

"Just don't kill him," was all she answered.

"Suzie," he called to his five year old sister who was watching the proceedings with a huge grin on her face, "I'll give you the chocolate bar I've been saving." She shook her head no and hugged her stuffed rabbit tighter.

"Dad!" Andrew screamed in desperation as he was hauled out of the house.

"Nothing I can do," his dad said as he passed them on the way to the house, "After all I've never interfered for anyone else."

"Just suck it up," his eldest brother said. Andrew began squirming even more trying to break free but his brothers were to strong for him. A few seconds later and they arrived at the watering trough. Two horses looked on in mild interest at the scene.

"On the count of three," the younger one said, "One, two, three."

"NO!" Andrew screamed as they threw him into the cold water. In a second he was back out and running to the house. The rest of his family was on the back porch laughing. His mom handed him a towel as he ran up. He quickly stripped down to his boxers and then ran up to his room. Winters may be mild here but being dunked in cold water was still freezing. It wasn't fair that everyone else's birthday was in the summer. He slammed the door of his room closed and locked it. No way was his brother coming back in here any time soon.

Like any body of still water that had slobbering horse mouths and other farm animals drinking from it, the water trough had been disgusting. Andrew didn't even have to smell himself to know that he needed a shower. Thankfully his room had an adjoining bathroom and there was no need to risk further birthday antics.

Once in the bathroom he entered his personal settings on the console and stripped off his remaining clothes while the water heated up. He liked hot showers, what fun was a cold shower, and once it was sufficiently hot he stepped in. Andrew sighed as the steam enveloped his body. He let the hot water wash away the gunk and mud while he enjoyed this simple pleasure.

Life on Harvest, for farmers at least, wasn't easy. His dad and brothers worked in the fields all day plowing, seeding, and harvesting: such was life on Harvest. Andrew was up before dawn every day to finish his chores before heading to school and with the exception of Suzie was usually the last one up in his family. They lived on the outskirts Gladsheim, a small city of a few thousand people.

Andrew was the only one in his family who still went to a formal school. Suzie was homeschooled like they all had been till middle school. At sixteen both of his brothers had dropped out to help on the farm. School was more than a two hour long journey in the best of weather. During the stormy season he sometimes had to stay with some friends in the city as him mom didn't want him driving his mongoose home.

Andrew shut off the water and stepped out of the shower. Life held little luxuries in Harvest outside of the capital, but one of the few was the water and sewage. When Harvest had first been discovered there had been big plans for several huge metropolises. The cities' water and sewage pipes had been built for much larger cities, but plans changed when it became known how fertile the soil was. The pipes were soon converted for irrigation and had helped Harvest become the largest farming planet in the UNSC.

Wrapping himself in a fresh towel he stepped into his room. A gust of wind from the open window made him shiver. He walked over to the window and placed his hand against the glass pane. He gazed out over the orchard trees and fields of grain, almost ready for the winter harvest, at the setting sun. Harvest was an absolutely beautiful planet. It may not have the stunning majesty of towering mountains or deep canyons or dense rain forests, but its rolling hills and vast stretches of open fields covered the whole planet with a deep sense of peace and tranquility. The capital, Utgard, might stage an insurrection every once in a while, but out here, in the rural heartland, life went on ignoring everything else that happened in the UNSC.

The richness of the soil and temperate climate allowed four growing seasons though following the tradition of their ancestors they only planted three. Most Harvesters were descended from farmers of the Midwestern United States on earth where it was said the soil had been almost as rich when it was first farmed.

Andrew slid the window closed and turned to his dresser. He didn't exactly hate life here, but he always thought that there was more to life than plow, seed, harvest. His brothers may be cut out for this life but he could never settle down here forever. His mom said he had the itch, like his dad's brother Uncle Barry. Uncle Barry had hated Harvest so much he had run away at sixteen. After spending several years working on merchant ships and traversing the known galaxy, he had eventually found a wife and settled down on Reach. His job for a defense contractor still allowed him a lot of travel time on the job which suited him just fine.

Uncle Barry had two sons, twins, Andrew's age and ever year he would send an invite for his brother to come and visit with his family. Andrew had begged mercilessly every year to take that trip. His Uncle had many connections in the UNSC Defense Force and had offered to introduce him to them. With his ability to pickup languages Uncle Barry had assured him he could go to almost any university he wished and get any job he wanted upon graduation.

But all that was still far away. He was only thirteen after all; just thirteen today. He had promised his parents not to leave till he was eighteen; on the condition they allow him to finish high school. Four more years of farming and then he could take that trip on his own. It would be his first time off planet.

Andrew slipped on a pair of worn blue denim jeans, threading a black belt through the loops, and a black sweater a few sizes to big. He hated hand-me-downs but money was always tight for farmers and his parents were tight fisted. Every cR they could was saved for an emergency and if that emergency never occurred it was passed onto the next generation. Tradition was a huge part of life on Harvest.

Andrew grabbed the disk that his mom insisted on calling a letter and unlocked his bedroom door and walked down the stairs to the family room. His sister was there listening to the old radio pick up the broadcasts from Utgard. Unlike most colonies Harvest still had radio stations. Almost no one owned a television or even a holograph display.

"Shh," she hissed as Andrews bare feet rustled against the fraying carpet. Her favorite program was about to start on the radio and nothing came between her and that program. Andrew rolled his eyes and walked past her to the back door. His destination was the barn. His bare feet kicked up a cloud of dust as he walked to the barn. As a summer project a few years ago he and his brothers had built a hologram projector to view the messages their cousins on Reach sent by mail. It was crude, without very poor graphics, but it was better than nothing.

He swung open the barn door and was greeted by the gentle mooing of their dairy cow. Like almost everything else on the farm she was descended from the original ones brought from Earth. He checked to make sure her hay trough was full before climbing up to the loft. At the far end was the projector, protected from dust and hay by a heavy tarp. Andrew pulled it off and began the arduous task of starting it up. He cranked the generator a few times and was pleasantly surprised when it started on the first try. Seating himself at the console he inserted the disk and pressed play.

"Happy birthday!" their holograms shouted to him. They maybe twins but they looked and acted nothing alike. The older of the two, by a few minutes, was tall and muscular for his age with blonde hair and brown eyes. He was a very outdoorsy type and Andrew had had a blast with him when they had come too visit several years ago. The younger was slightly smaller than Andrew, even though he was half a year older, with black hair and blue eyes. He was much more reserved than his brother and it had taken Andrew a lot of coaxing and bribing to get him to have fun the Harvest way.

"Sorry mom and dad aren't here, but dad is on a trip to Lambda Serpentis and mom's working late at CASTLE Base," the older said.

"Things are pretty busy here on Reach," the younger answered, "Dad's pretty surprised Harvest is revolting again but I guess you don't follow that too much. He said your dad wouldn't be involved." That was right. Andrew's dad would say it's none of their business; they only feed people.

"Yeah, but seriously UNSC sent a task force last year. You know that means they're scared about something," the oldest said.

"I wish your dad would accept my dad's offer and come visit. He could hire someone to run the farm for a few months," the youngest said. Though Andrew would have loved that he knew it would never happen.

"Welcome to being a teenager. I hope you're having fun today," the oldest said,

"Though I don't know how that's possible," the youngest butted in, "You live in the middle of nowhere." Andrew couldn't help but agree. It was boring out on the farm. None of his friends lived close enough to hangout with and everyone else but Suzie was always too busy to do anything fun. When there wasn't much work life was a real drag.

Well we've got to go. Teach decided to assign us a paper due tomorrow. Happy Birthday."

"One last question," the oldest interrupted, "Did they dunk you and which trough was it in?" Andrew rolled his eyes. "Anyway, Happy Birthday and we hope to see you soon." Andrew sighed as he switched off the generator and pulled the tarp back over the projector. He so desperately wanted to leave Harvest and explore the rest of the galaxy. Life here was depressingly dull. Finished protecting the projector he went over to the small supply room in the barn. Inside was a two-way shortwave radio that his family kept for emergency purposes. He turned it on and tuned to a channel. He soon heard the voice of his best friend Trevor.

"Andrew… Andrew… Why am I always the one that gets to speak to static and look like an idiot?"

"Because it fits you," Andrew answered.

"What took you so long? I thought we arranged this at school?"

"Sorry, I got a message from my cousins and watched that first."

"Great now I get stood up for two city slickers thousands of light years away."

"You haven't said it yet?"

"Happy Birthday," Trevor said reluctantly.

"Beat you to the teens by two weeks," Andrew gloated.

"You'll also beat me to being an old fogey by two weeks too," Trevor retorted, "Did they dunk you yet?"

"Yes," Andrew groaned.

"I wish I could have been there."

"I invited you over," Andrew reminded.

"I know but my dad's coming home from Utgard tonight and my mom wanted everyone to be here for him."

"Guess we could always do it tomorrow."

"I can ask my mom. She should say yes."

"Great. I'll tell my dad and maybe he'll let us go hunting."

"Awesome! Think we could bag a panther?" Trevor asked.

"That would be great. We'd be the talk of the whole school and Trish might actually give you the time of day," Andrew smirked.

"Hey keep her out of this."

"I still don't see why you like her. She ignores you as much as possible."

"But she's the hottest girl in school," Trevor protested.

"No, Alex is," Andrew corrected, "And I got her to go to the Founder's day ball with me."

"Jerk."

"Idiot."

"My mom's calling me. See ya tomorrow," Trevor said, "And don't get too drunk today. It's only your thirteenth birthday."

"No promises. Bye." Andrew turned off the radio and smiled. Trevor was a blast to hang out with. He had strong mischievous streak in him that balanced Andrew's natural reservation. It was if someone had designed them to be together. He walked back into the house which was filled with the delicious smell of fried whale steaks. The sun had just slipped below the horizon and twilight was fast disappearing. Clouds in the distance foretold a stormy night.

"Andrew, come help set the table," his mom called when she heard the back door slam shut.

"Be right there," he answered. He passed his brother coming down the stairs toweling his wet hair.

"Used all the hot water again," he complained.

"Wouldn't have used any if I wasn't thrown in a water trough," was Andrew's quick answer. He didn't wait for his brother's reply but quickly headed into the kitchen.

"Help Suzie with the plates," his mom directed. He walked over to his sister who was struggling to carry the six plates to the table. He scooped them up and placed them on the table.

"Happy Birthday son," his dad said walking in as Andrew was setting the final place. "And how are you doing gorgeous?" he continued walking up to his wife and kissing her.

"Oh, come on. Gross! Do you have to do that here? Now? In front of me? It's my birthday," Andrew protested.

"Not quite a man yet," his dad said ruffling his hair, "Give it time. You'll be a man before you know it." Andrew frowned and pushed his father's hand away.

"I'm man enough already. I've even got a mustache," he protested.

"Did Andrew just claim to have a mustache?" his older brother said walking in, "I need to see that." He walked over and looked closely at Andrew's face. "He's right I can see one right there," his brother said pretending to pull a hair out, "That's better."

"Hey, not funny," Andrew said as everyone began laughing except Suzie who continued to stare at Andrew's face.

"I don't see anything," she said innocently.

"That's because there's nothing there," her eldest brother counseled.

"Steaks are done," Andrew's mom interrupted sensing a fight coming. Everyone quickly scrambled to find seats. His roommate brother sauntered in shortly after Mrs. Conyers finished bringing the food to the table.

"Let us say grace," Andrew's dad said. Andrew grabbed his sister's and father's hands and bowed his head. "Dear God we come before you tonight with much thankfulness. We thank you for the blessings you have bestowed upon this land; for the beasts and plants that provide us with food. We especially thank you for Andrew and ask that you continue to bless and guide him in his life. May you give him strength to live according to your will. May you bless this food and the hands that prepared it. In your son's name we pray. Amen."

"Amen," the rest of the family said in unison.

"Well Andrew, your choice," his father said pointing to the plate heaped with whale steaks. Andrew stared at the piling of sizzling meat. Each looked equally good and tender. It would be a hard choice. Finally he chose one near the bottom as it would probably be warmer than the rest.

"Good choice," his mother said. Before Andrew took a bite out of his the ground began to shake. His mother looked up in worry.

"Earthquake?" Andrew's brother asked.

"Edda's geologically stable," Andrew answered.

"Ship!" his father suddenly said. "Quick, get the guns," he ordered his two oldest sons, "And you three get to a hiding place."

"But I can…" Andrew protested.

"No buts get to your place," his father ordered again. Andrew headed towards the air duct besides the oven, pulling off the cover and sliding himself in. It was a tight fit, he had grown some since their last drill, but he was able to crawl in far enough and pull the cover back on. This far from a major city pirate or rebel raids were not unheard of. A few months ago a sea side village on the southern coast had been sacked, though thankfully there had been no loss of life. His sister ran to one of the cabinets and his mom ran into the next room. The rumbling increased to the point that Andrew wasn't so sure it wasn't an earthquake. He heard his brother's thumping on the stairwell and saw their feet head to the front door.

"Take positions at the window," he heard his father direct his two brothers. Other than the rumbling there was an agonizingly long silence. Finally he heard a beastly roar and the sounds of gunfire and what sounded like grenades. This was bad. If it was only rebels or pirates his father would have tried to minimize conflict. Whoever it was had ill intent. Another beastly roar and he heard the front door smash in. He heard his brothers curse and yell as they fell back from the window. He saw their feet as they fell back; bright green shots landing on the floor around them. But where was his dad? He scooted forward a little to get a better view. A blue fuzzy thing flew from the foyer and landed on his older brother. He dropped his gun and desperately grabbed at it. His oldest brother dove under the kitchen table. Andrew had never seen him so scared. A few seconds later his older brother was no more.

Andrew stifled a cry as he saw his brother disintegrate. His remaining brother looked hastily looked for the gun he had dropped. Seeing it lying in the hallway he dove for it; only to be stopped by a huge furry foot stepping on it. A giant hand reached down and picked his brother up by the neck. He heard some words in a foreign language and then the creature took the blade like weapon it was caring and sliced his brother open. His brother dropped to the ground and writhed in pain for a few seconds before the creature crushed the life out of him. Andrew crawled back as far as he could. He was in shock. His two brothers were dead and his father was most likely. From the next room he heard a scream followed by a roar. He clenched his eyes shut: his mother was dead too.

Soon he could hear more of the creatures tearing up the house. He knew it was only a matter of time before they found him. He hoped they wouldn't find his sister. His thoughts were brought back as the two huge furry feet started walking towards the air duct. He cowered as much as he could and prayed as hard as he could. He heard the sound of sniffing, like a dog, and then the oven door was ripped off.

Whale steak! They had smelled the extra whale steak his mom had left in the oven and that had drawn them in his direction. He hoped they wouldn't look much harder. Soon he heard the sound of ravenous feeding. Other creatures, some with webbed feet, began entering the kitchen; probably to take part in his birthday feast he noted mournfully. At least that meant he was safe for the moment. He was drawn from his thoughts by the sound of cabinet doors being flung open. Suzie!

"Ahh," he heard her scream as she was dragged from her hiding place. He wanted to save her but fear kept him rooted in his spot. He heard the creatures laughing and then a swooping sound. His hands leapt to his mouth in to suppress his scream as her bunny fell to the ground covered in blood.

His breath came in quick short gasps. He lay frozen in position unable to move or even think as the creatures began to leave. He was brought to his senses by a burning sensation in his feet: the house was burning. Survival instincts took over and creatures or not he was not going to be roasted alive. He kicked open the vent and crawled out. He coughed as he breathed in a lungful of smoke. He ran out of kitchen towards the back door, slipping on the bloodied floor and landing flat on his face. Andrew turned over to get up and found himself face to face with the severed head of his mother. He scrambled back in horror; the flames and smoke creating a hellish scene for the terrified teenager.

Hauling himself to his feet he dashed through the smoke and flames and hurled himself through the back door. The landing on the wooden porch knocked the breath out of him. After a few seconds of gasping for breathe he picked himself up and ran to the barn. The radio could be used to call for help. Rain was just beginning to fall. As he ran across the short expanse he looked up and saw the creatures' ship. It was long with two forks and glistened with an energy shield. Several creatures stood in open doors staring at the fiery scene below. Andrew stopped and stared at it. Why? He would never know but it saved his life. A turret on the ship launched a volley at the barn. The force of the explosion knocked him off his feet. Recovering he pulled himself into a sitting position. Andrew snapped his head between his house and barn. His whole life was up in flames; there was nothing left. Looking beyond he could see the orchards and fields of grain on fire. Everything was gone.

Except the tool shed. He jumped to his feet as the light rain turned into a downpour. He kept his mongoose there. With that he could get help. Help? There was no need for help anymore; he needed to warn people before the creatures attacked another farm. Rounding the corner of his burning house he gave a prayer of thanks that the shed was still intact. He flung open the doors and jumped on the mongoose. He felt around the ignition for the key. Thankfully he had left it in instead of bringing it up to his room. He was about to leave when he noticed the picture frame on the small table. He quickly grabbed it, smashed the glass, and shoved the picture of his family into his pocket. Andrew then jumped on the mongooses and sped out into the night; the wind and rain providing him cover. As he sped through a smoldering wheat field he looked back just in time to see the ship depart and head toward the next farm. All he could do was pray for them.

The storm increased in intensity as he drove towards Gladsheim; his only light source the mongoose's headlights. Andrew slowed down as he got farther away; no need to survive that only to die from reckless driving. In this weather the gullies were probably flooded; there was no chance of him making it all the way tonight. He knew of a place he could spend the night. It was a small hollowed out space in one of the few rocky outcroppings in the area. He had used it several times for shelter from passing storms on his way to and from school. It wasn't much but at least he would be protected from the wind and rain.

As he got closer he slowed down. The place was some where nearby but in the darkness he couldn't see. He idled the mongoose and looked from side to side: everything was pitch black. As he was about to move on a flash of lighting illuminated the sky enough for him to get his bearings. Shelter was only a few hundred yards to his left. Andrew positioned the mongoose in front of it to provide better protection before hopping over the side. He brought his knees up to his chest to keep as much heat as possible from escaping.

Things were bad. He was barefoot, dressed in only jeans and a light sweater, wet and the dropping temperature wasn't helping. It'd be a miracle if he survived the night. His breathe still came in short gasps and the adrenaline rush he still had heightened his senses. At every strange noise he jumped, thinking those creatures had found him. At every lighting bolt he thought the shadows were them coming to finish the job.

Eventually he calmed down. His body no longer in survival mode the realization of what had just happened hit him like sledge hammer. His brothers were dead, his mother was dead, his father was dead, his little four year old sister was dead. Not just dead but gruesomely killed in cold-blood by alien creatures. Everything was gone; his whole life lay in ashes a few kilometers away. It was just him, his mongoose… and the picture. He quickly pulled it out and between flashes of lightning stared at his lost family members. The picture had been taken only a few months ago, on Founders Day. He brushed away the rain drops that fell on the small piece of laminated paper.

This was too much for his young mind to comprehend, so he did what every child does when he's lost, alone, and scared: he cried. But this was not a child's cry. It came from a place he didn't even know existed. It was more than just sadness; it was a deep weeping over things so horrible he still did not fully accept what had happened. It was a man's cry.


	4. Day 2: February 12, 2525

**Day 2: February 12, 2525**

Some time during that miserable night Andrew's exhausted body had given into exhaustion and he had fallen into a deep dreamless sleep. He awoke with the rising sun; his body sore from the awkward position and hard ground. There were no questions in his mind about where he was or why, his mind could never invent something so horrible. Though the storm was gone the wind still blew across the open fields. Andrew gratefully took in the warmth of the sun's rays. All he wanted to do was lay there and never leave. Remain basking in the sun's glory till nothingness overcame him.

However, he realized that more than his life was in the balance. He needed to warn others; no one else deserved to experience what he had just gone threw. Andrew uncurled and stretched himself out. He needed to get to Gladsheim. Hopefully he wasn't too late.

He climbed up the rocky outcropping and surveyed his surroundings, shivering as the brisk wind caught his wet clothes. No more alien vessels were in sight, but columns of smoke rose in the horizon. Sitting on the cleft over his little shelter he took out the picture of his family. He couldn't believe they were really dead. He angrily swiped at the tears forming in his eyes. Now wasn't the time to be a baby. He needed to be strong; his survival depended on it. Getting up he looked towards Gladsheim. Other than isolated columns of smoke there was nothing to hint that the city had been attacked… yet. Perhaps the new colonial militia had repelled an attack, or maybe this had just been a raiding party.

"No," he answered himself softly; they came to destroy not take. He picked his way down to the mongoose and started it up. His stomach rumbled angrily. He hadn't eaten since that plum before dinner. Speeding towards the city he thought maybe he would come across some people or he could always just take some fruit from an orchard to sate his hunger. No one would begrudge him that small theft in these conditions.

As the kilometers passed, Andrew sped by endless fields of burnt wheat, maize, and barley. Whole orchards were burnt to merely black hulks; even the fruits on the ground burnt to a ashes. The air was thick with smoke, ash, and soot causing Andrew to pull the collar of his shirt over his face. This had to be what hell was like; void of life and alone. He passed by several other farm houses. He didn't stop. He already knew what he would find.

On he sped, kilometer after kilometer, never stopping. Between the wind and sun he had finally dried out, but he was still freezing in the early morning hours. He didn't meet anyone on his journey; neither human nor alien. Everyone had either fled or was dead. He tried not to dwell on that last option. Their homes may be separated by great distances, but out in the rural farmlands of Harvest you knew everyone. Barn raisings or the big fairs in Gladsheim brought everyone together. It was like a big family reunion. All that was gone now. In a twinkling of an eye everything had changed.

At the last farm house before the city Andrew stopped. The orchards and fields were still smoldering and the house was a pile of charred wood and ashes, but the barn still stood undamaged. Perhaps there were weapons or possibly even food. He had never felt so hungry in his life something his stomach was angrily grumbling about. As Andrew approached the door he heard soft wailing inside. He hesitated. Did he really want to see what was inside? Eventually his hunger won out and he slid the door open. Blood and guts covered the walls and floor of the barn. Andrew tread carefully to avoid getting his bare feet covered in the sticky mess.

The wailing came from a stall on the far side. Andrew carefully worked his way over to it and peeked inside. It was the owner's prize winning mare. She lay in an awkward position. The lower half of her body was severely burned and all her legs looked broken. Next to her lay the dead body of her colt, not even a year old yet. She looked up when she heard Andrew's light breathing and gave him a look of pure sorrow that made him want to wrench his heart out. Everything had been too much. Perhaps it was better not to feel at all.

He quickly cupped his hands and dipped them in a nearby water trough. The mare gratefully lapped it up. Andrew petted her head as he gave her another handful. She had been so beautiful, so strong. Her coat had been a vibrant red that had made her the envy of every farmer within the Gladsheim area. Such beauty, such nobility; who could destroy such a thing? Eventually he spotted the axe hanging nearby. He looked into the mare's eyes and knew what must be done.

A few seconds later he stood by the trough cleaning the blood from the axe head. He didn't know why; it wasn't like anyone would care, but habits are hard things to kill. Replacing the axe head he turned to the feeding trough in the barn. He was starving and there wasn't anything else. His dignity made him look to make sure no one was watching before he dipped his hands in and scooped out a large handful of oats. He devoured it eagerly. Hunger has a way of making anything palatable. He washed it down with a drink from a faucet outside.

As he was leaving a glint of metal caught his eye. A knife lay on the ground slightly out of its sheath. Andrew took it out and examined it. On the blade was the inscription "Jump feet first into hell!" motto of the ODSTs. He placed it back in its sheath and attached it to his belt. Well his feet may be bare foot but at least he was armed now. Jumping back onto his mongoose Andrew sped the last few kilometers to the outskirts of Gladsheim.

As he neared the city limits he slowed down. A massive pillar of smoke rose above where the city should be. He stopped and weighed his options. He needed to get to Utgard; to the space elevators and to safety, but that was too far to travel on foot and his mongoose could never make it. No, he needed to get into the city and hopefully find transport to Utgard.

He started up the mongoose again and drove slowly towards the city, watching the sky for any signs of… them. The fields of golden wheat he had driven through just yesterday were no more than burnt stubble. He double checked to make sure the coast was clear before driving onto the main road that led to the city. His destination was the school. He knew the area and the headmaster lived on the grounds. That meant a vehicle would be there if the creatures hadn't destroyed it. For the first time in his life Andrew was thankful for all the times he had been sent there for punishment: he knew where the keys were.

He slowed as reached the city limits sign. Andrew looked once more back from were he came. This was it; he had made it to Gladsheim. It had taken him nearly three hours but he was here. It seemed an eternity ago that he had driven this route; complaining to friends he had given rides about the amount of homework they had. He pressed the accelerator; now was not the time to dwell on the past.

He sped past bombed houses and burnt yards. City buildings were built of concrete and steel, not the highly flammable wood of farm houses. Each former home he passed had its own memory. There was his best friend Trevor's home where he stayed overnight sometimes when there was a lot of homework to do or a big test. There was old Mrs. Frieberg's home where his family stayed when in town. Down another street was the Linde's place which he had helped repaint in exchange for some parts for the projector. He didn't stop to check any of them. The gaping holes in the wall told him there was no one home. Strangely enough he didn't see any bodies. Perhaps some had made it out in time.

A few minutes later he pulled up next to the Headmaster's still intact car. Not the same could be said of the house though. The west wall had completely collapsed and the other three didn't look far behind. He carefully crept into the foyer, ignoring the half burnt corpses of the owner and his family, and headed to where he knew the keys were. He said a prayer of thanks when he saw them hanging right where they should be. Grabbing them he headed back outside but stopped when his stomach rumbled. Horse feed wasn't all that filling for humans. Andrew turned back to the kitchen and began searching for food. It wasn't long till he found a few pieces of fruit that looked good enough to eat. He took a bite of one as he headed back outside. He eyed the corpses as he passed them again, but unfortunately none had shoes.

In the car he stuck the keys in the ignition, gave a short prayer, and turned the key. The car came to life for a second and then died. Andrew swore and tried again, but it refused to start. He popped the hood and jumped out. Every Harvest kid new the basics of mechanics; when times were tight you couldn't afford a fancy specialist to fix the farm equipment. Everything looked fine. Andrew began by checking the basics, oil, coolant, battery. Everything seemed fine, but he did smell gasoline. Looking under the car he saw a pool forming on the concrete. He traced it back to the cylinders and cursed at the small crack he saw. It looked like someone had ripped it apart and put it back together without realizing they weren't built to be taken apart. The car's safety sensors had detected the crack and turned off the engine and Andrew didn't have the tools necessary to override the safety system.

He slid down the side of the car to the ground, holding his head in his hands. Life sucked right now and he wasn't sure he could take much more. He had obviously been too late to warn anybody. He was finally realizing that he truly was alone. There was no one left just him and corpses. He wanted to cry again. Just curl into a ball and cry himself to sleep; to just forget everything for a few blissful hours.

Looking up he saw the sun was almost high in the sky. The day was half over. Having not seen any signs that the aliens were still here Andrew decided that this would be a good place to stay for the night. Rousing himself from his depression he reentered the house and began looking for things of use. Like most city dwellers the headmaster didn't have any weapons but he might have other things, shoes being high on the list. Andrew carefully picked his way through rooms and closets collecting anything that might be of use and dumping them in the driveway. He would sort through it later.

By the time he was done he had a sizeable pile of stuff. He had to travel light so most of it was going to be left behind. He had already pulled out a pair of sneakers; amazingly they fit perfectly, and was now sifting through clothes. All the jackets were too brightly colored for his purposes but the medical kit was invaluable. There was a leather satchel he could use to carry stuff in and the night vision binoculars would be priceless too though he was less sure about the cash. Was it even worth anything now? He decided no.

Once he gathered his stuff he went back inside and packed some food mostly fruits and breads. Lifting up the overturned refrigerator he found a whale steak still cold. He stared at it for a second. They had saved his life. He picked the paper wrapped meat up and stuck it in the satchel. At least tonight he'd have a good meal. With the sneakers on his feet and the medical kit, binoculars, and food in the satchel he stepped out of the house. For the first time Andrew felt a small inkling of hope. He had food for a day or two, a medical kit in case of injuries or sickness, and shoes on his feet. He just might make it out of this alive.

The headmaster's house wasn't safe to stay the night so he headed to the mostly undamaged school. There he could have shelter for the night and hopefully find a few more tools. Walking down the darkened main hall was eerie all alone. Usually he only saw it when it was full of students hurrying from one class to the next. He stopped at the Old Man's office. The Old Man, as he was affectionately called though the students called him Sir to his face, had been Andrew's favorite teacher. He had been the one to discover Andrew's hidden talent only four years ago, and had grumbled for weeks that only on a backward planet like Harvest could such a gift be hidden for so long. He had taken Andrew under his wing and helped develop the talent. Within a couple months of studying he was completely fluent in several different languages.

Andrew brushed his hand against the nameplate on the solid oak door. The Old Man kept a locked chest in there that was rumored to hold his belongings from when he had served in the UNSC Marine corps; perhaps he kept a pistol or something in it. Andrew turned the knob and pushed the door in. He was greeted by the headless corpse of his mentor sitting in his leather swivel chair behind the desk. Andrew quickly turned around and threw up. He stayed in the hall for a few seconds before he worked up enough courage to reenter the room.

Getting over his initial shock he examined the body. The burnt neck tissue meant his head had probably been vaporized. At least that had been painless Andrew consoled himself. He turned his attention to the iron bound chest in the corner. It had an old fashion lock and key on it. Andrew grabbed the heaviest thing he could find and broke it off.

Inside he found a neatly folded up uniform and a UNSC flag. Digging deeper he found cases of medals and a canteen. The Old Man had obviously been very busy as a soldier. Underneath them he found what he was looking for: an M6D Magnum pistol. With a twelve round clip and armor piercing bullets it was more than enough protection for him. He quickly checked to make sure it was in serviceable condition, though knowing the Old Man it probably was in mint condition. When he was done he slipped the gun back into its holster and fastened it to his belt. He grabbed the extra magazines, cartons of ammo, and canteen and placed them in his satchel.

Andrew turned to look at the Old Man's body before he left. He couldn't leave him here, not like this. He turned the swivel chair around grabbed the Old Man's feet, dragged him out the door, and to a tree he had liked to sit under. Andrew set down his stuff and began digging a hole. It was hard work and eventually he went to find a tool of some sort. In the gardener's shed he found a small spade, but that was better than his bare hands.

The sun was just beginning to set when he wrestled a piece of concrete into place as the headstone. He to a step back and examined his handiwork. Using a hammer and piece of rebar he had chiseled:

In Memory of

Gregory Binnder (The Old Man)

Teacher

Mentor

Friend

Some how, though he had done great things for the UNSC, Andrew knew he would have liked this. Andrew's stomach soon started complaining again, reminding the teen he couldn't just take care of the dead. He took one last look at the grave before heading inside; his steak wasn't getting any fresher.

He made his way to the chemistry labs. A few Bunsen burns would cook this steak just fine. Four burners arranged in a square with a metal sterile drawer used as a pan soon had his steak sizzling in no time. He took out his knife and cut off a slice. Even unseasoned it was absolutely delicious. Andrew was sure he had never had a better steak before in his life. Taking the drawer of the heat, he put it on the ceramic countertop. He stared at it for a while. Normally his father would say grace now, but it just didn't seem right now.

He took his knife and cut off a thick slice of meat. He chewed slowly savoring each bite. No telling when he'd get another steak like this again, if ever. What to do next was running through his mind. He could siphon off gas and maybe carry a gallon or two and some food or water and hope to make it to the next refueling station before he ran out, but that idea wasn't exactly appealing. There would be no cover on the open and now probably burnt plains of Harvest. If any alien ship saw him he'd be dead.

The other option was to stick around Gladsheim and hope to find someway out. The massive sewer system should have provided shelter to a few individuals. Hopefully he would run across some of them and they could pool their meager resources to find a way out of this hell.

Andrew took out the picture from his pocket. His mother looked so beautiful. She had spent hours getting herself up for the big ball in downtown Gladsheim. The quarter Harvest had been especially bountiful and dad had splurged a little on her dress. His older brothers looked stiff; completely out of place in their suits and ties. Suzie looked picturesque in her light pink dress. That had been her first Founder's ball. Usually they left her with Mrs. Frieberg.

And there he was; smiling for all he was worth. Alex, a girl he had a crush on for two years, had asked him to escort her to the ball and he couldn't have been happier. He had grown a good inch since the picture and had cut his hair. He had really let it grow long back then. Andrew stared at the grinning innocent person in the photo. It was a different person than how he felt now.

Andrew sighed and took out an apple from his satchel and pierced it with his knife. Holding it over the burners he slowly let it roast to a crispy golden brown. It reminded him of the fall party his family had each year. Friends and family from kilometers around would descend upon the Conyers farm for an evening of fun and feasting before winter set in. Not that winters were very cold, it was just tradition. Something his Great Grandfather had brought with him from earth.

Those had been fun times. Because his family lived so far out most people stayed the night over. That meant the kids slept in the barn or under the stars. Nothing was more fun than a cool fall night hanging out with Trevor with dozens of little kids to scare. Andrew took another bite of the apple. Life would never be the same for him and deep down he knew it would never be the same for humanity either.

Turning off the burners Andrew prepared to go to sleep. He knew of a relatively safe place to sleep; one where it would be hard to sneak up on without him hearing. In the rafters above the attic someone had laid a couple of plywood boards down and it was used to store things that weren't used often. It was high enough off the ground to make it difficult to climb up and there was also a trap door that led to the roof.

On the way there Andrew grabbed some costumes used in school plays. They would serve nicely as blankets and pillows. He tossed the clothes up and then jumped. Catching the edge with his hands he hauled himself the rest of the way up. He set to work moving boxes and other things to make room for him and also shield him from anything below. He threw some dresses on the ground and balled up a bear costume for a pillow before lying down. He placed his new weapon by his side and a few minutes later he fell asleep.


	5. Day 3: February 13, 2525

**Day 3: February 13, 2525**

It was still dark when Andrew awoke. Except for splotches of light shining through holes in the roof, the attic was fairly dark. It took him a few seconds to remember where he was but that came back soon enough; too soon. He yawned and stretched still feeling very tired. He reached over to pull an apple out of his satchel when he froze.

Downstairs he heard a sound; a very faint sound. Like the pitter patter of a small animal, but a sound none the less. He reached for his gun and checked to make sure there was a round in the chamber. Satisfied he switched the safety off and peered over his barrier. He didn't see anything but it was pitch black by the stairwell. He waited for what seemed like hours; beads of sweat forming on face even in the cold predawn air.

His patience was rewarded, if you could call it a reward, when a small light appeared at the top of the stairs. It cautiously walked further into the attic; Andrew keeping his sights trained on the light. As the creature stepped into a patch of light Andrew could see it was one of those little creatures with webbed feet and funny masks. His finger slowly wrapped around the trigger and tightened; this was his chance for revenge.

"Humans, if you're here come out and you won't be harmed," it said in a high-pitched faltering voice. Andrew wasn't sure which was more surprising: that it spoke English or that it seemed scared. Either way hell would have to freeze over before he would trust one of them.

The creature jumped when a deep voice shouted from downstairs. Andrew didn't understand what was said but soon a loud thumping emanated from the stairwell. Soon one of those bear like creatures stepped into the dim light followed by another little one. Andrew frowned; these creatures were obviously the leaders. He would start with it. He aimed his pistol at the bear's head. Its helmet prevented a shot between the eyes so Andrew aimed for one of them. He slowly squeezed the trigger just like his dad had taught. It was a perfect shot right into the creature's left eye. It was dead before it hit the ground.

Andrew trained his gun on the one of the smaller creatures and fired off another round. Years of hunting on open plains had honed his skill with guns. On Harvest you only ever got one try. The blue mask exploded taking the creature's head with it. The poor thing didn't even have time to react to its leader's death. The other one finally jumped into action by running in circles and screaming like it was the end of the world. Andrew decided to put it out of its misery and fired a third round. Revenge was sweet.

He switched the safety back on and holstered the weapon. Grabbing his satchel and jumped to the ground. Andrew walked around the bodies for a few seconds examining the bodies. The small ones wore weird armor with a pointy thing on top that seemed to serve no purpose. Interestingly enough it looked like their armor better protected their backs than fronts. Perhaps that was intentional considering their reaction when he had killed the big guy. They carried the G shaped weapons he had seen at the farm. He picked one up and slid it in his satchel. He would examine when he was in a safer place.

The big bear like creature was utterly massive; well over two and a half meters and at least five hundred kilos. It wore heavy blue armor covering most vital areas and its skin look thick enough to stop most things. It had a strange looking gun with two curved blades protruding from the under the barrel. It was too large for him to fit in the satchel so he left it.

A few blue balls were scatter around the floor near the bodies. Andrew picked a couple up turned it over in his hand. It had a red oval on it and two sets of four green lights on opposite ends of each other. He wasn't sure what it was but he dropped a couple in his satchel. He kept one out and pressed on the red oval. Instantly the green lights started spinning.

Andrew heard a loud roar and turned to see another bear standing on the steps. Without thinking he threw the blue ball. It landed on the bear's arm and stuck. Andrew's eyes widen in realization. It was the thing that had killed one of his brothers. The bear roared again and charged. Andrew dove behind a chest just as it exploded. Cool! Grenades! They could be useful. He peeked out from behind the chest; the bear had been vaporized just like his brother. Served the bastard right.

Andrew wanted to stay and investigate a bit more but the sound of feet running up the stairs told him he wasn't welcome any longer. He ran over to his hiding place and pulled himself up. Several high pitched squeals told him the bodies had been found. He didn't look back as he opened the trap door and crawled onto the roof. He quietly closed the door and crawled to the edge of the roof. He looked back as he heard banging on the trap door; obviously the creatures didn't know how to operate a door handle. That's when an idea popped into his head.

A few seconds later Andrew was hanging off the edge of the roof; one hand holding him up, the other holding a grenade. Soon a big furry hand broke through the door and angrily tore the remaining pieces off. It roared as it saw the blue arch, but it was too late. Andrew dropped to the ground and ran away; the ensuing explosion music too his ears.

Thankful for the darkness he ran across the school yard and ducked behind a pile of rubble. A quick peek over confirmed he wasn't being followed. For the first time since… the incident he smiled: the sun wasn't even up and he had already killed five aliens. Who knew what the rest of the day would hold. Andrew took the binoculars out of his satchel and scanned the surrounding area. No more aliens were in sight.

"Alright," he said aloud softly, "Downtown here I come." There he would hopefully find other survivors, preferably Colonial Militia, who had a plan of some sorts. He figured the mongoose would be too loud to safely use anymore so he left it behind. Running across the street he entered a house. He stopped in the foyer to listen for any activity, better to be safe than sorry which in this case sorry meant dead. He was heading for the main street that ran through Gladsheim. He could follow that to downtown and the main sewer entrances.

Hearing nothing he slowly walked down the hall towards the back door. Oddly enough he didn't see any bodies. Maybe more people had escaped than he thought. He passed through the backyard and jumped the low fence. This house had completely collapsed so he skirted around the pile of rubble to the street. He kneeled on the ground at the edge of the pile and scanned the area for any signs of life.

Finding none he ran across the street and into another house. Like before he stopped to listen before heading out the backdoor and into another yard. Like the previous house this one had no bodies. He jumped another fence and entered another house. He was half way across the next street when he felt the ground rumble. It was the same rumbling that preceded the incident. Andrew froze. A ship meant lots of creatures; too many for him to kill all alone. He squeezed his eyes shut as the memories flooded his mind: his brother's look of horror, the head of his mom, the bloody stuffed rabbit.

The sun was just beginning to peak above the horizon, robbing Andrew of his little cover. His mind was on overdrive, processing hundreds of thoughts a second about his past, but not one towards his future. The rumbling grew louder. Sweat poured down his face. He was back on the farm, looking up in awe at the strange pink glow above him, being flung back as the barn exploded.

From somewhere deep within his confused mind a voice pierced the debilitating rush of memories and emotions. "RUN!" it screamed and that's what Andrew did. Down the street he dashed, away from the rumbling. His body seemed to be on auto pilot. He jumped piles of concrete and twisted steel, always finding firm and steady ground on the other side. He slid under the burnt out hulk of a truck and was on his feet without losing a stride. He knew not where he was running; his feet seemed to have grown a mind of its own.

The rumbling continued to increase and Andrew forced every ounce of speed from his body. He still didn't know where he was running, but he kept straight ahead. Years of hard labor on the family farm had honed his body into peak physical condition. He ran as fast as he could, jumping craters and dodging pieces of glass that would have sliced his feet open. His mind seemed to focus only on the rising sun in front of him, as if he could run all the way there to safety. He was blind to all else; not even noticing the dead bodies that now littered the streets.

Behind him the rumbling grew louder. An explosion to his right caused him to counter-intuitively veer towards it, just in time to avoid the hail of plasma fire that rained down across the rest of the street. His body was in overdrive, adrenaline screaming through his veins, every muscle strained to reach that unknown destination. He mindlessly dodged the next volley of fire, weaving behind upturn cars and piles of rubble as if unconsciously guided.

His body was beginning to fail. Though he kept pushing he felt himself gradually slowing. He wasn't going to make it. A bright orange blur caught his eye and he turned his head. As he did his feet snagged on a piece of rebar. He somersaulted onto the ground; the concrete road scraping his hands, face, and back, glass tearing his clothes and cutting his body. He skidded to a halt a few meters away. Not feeling the pain he quickly flipped himself onto his back. The ship was only a few hundred meters behind him and closing fast.

He looked around for a place to hide. Andrew was in the rich section bordering downtown. All buildings had tall walls; to tall for an average height teenager to climb. Looking around he saw the burning wreck of a Colonial Militia Warthog; they had put up a fight after all. He moved to get up, when his handed landed on a cylindrical object. He looked next to him and saw a Jackhammer rocket launcher.

He quickly picked it up. Andrew didn't know how to use it, but like everything else on his body his hands seemed to have a mind of their own. He opened the launcher and saw a single rocket in the tube. He closed the loading bay, took off the trigger guard, got up on one knee, and aimed the rocket launcher at the oncoming ship. He had one shot and only one shot. He suppressed the urge to fire too soon; sweat streaming down his face. The ship came closer, not firing a shot. A hundred meters away its cargo doors opened and that's when Andrew fired. The rocket left a trail of smoke as it flew towards the ship. His aim was true and the rocket slammed into one of the cargo bays.

The prong exploded sending shrapnel tearing through cockpit. The ship lost control and started spinning. Andrew didn't move as it hit the ground and skidded towards him. Closer and closer it came tearing up the roadway but he didn't flinch. Bits of twisted alien metal flew off the ship; sparks rained down from the metal hull rubbing against the concrete. It finally came to rest mere inches from Andrew; his body framed against the rising sun, the rocket launcher resting on his shoulder, blood and dirt smeared across his face.

He held that pose for a few more seconds before dropping the rocket launcher and collapsing. The adrenaline high was over and with it went his strength. His breath came in short gasps and his hands twitched mindlessly by his side. His whole body shuddered from the recent exertion. He was exhausted and the sun was barely above the horizon. All he wanted to do was take a hot shower then crawl into a warm soft bed and sleep.

He closed his eyes and let the rays of the sun warm his body. A smile played on his lips. The day had just started and he had racked up a fairly impressive kill count. His shaking hand searched for his satchel. Pulling the canteen out, he brought it to his quivering lips. The young teen eagerly gulped the refreshing liquid down. He coughed as his body told him to slow down. He pulled the canteen away from his lips and then began laughing. He didn't know why. Nothing in the past few days had been any fun at all.

Recapping the canteen he pulled himself up; wincing as he felt the scrapes and bruises from his fall. One of his pant legs was torn at the knee and his hands felt like all the skin had been shaved off. His back felt like he had been dragged across a bed of nails. Lifting his shirt up Andrew saw several larges bruises beginning to form on his chest and abdomen. He didn't even want to know what his face looked like.

He pulled his complaining body to its feet and grabbed his satchel. He decided to investigate that orange blur that had so conveniently caused him to trip. He dragged himself up the street to the sidewalk. It wasn't hard to find again. The orange stuck out amidst the drab rubble. Getting closer he realized it was a jacket… on a dead body. He flipped it over and gasped. It was Trevor his best friend. His abdomen was completely burnt; he had probably taken a direct hit from an alien weapon.

He dropped to his knees and brushed the hair out of his friend's face. They had been closer than brothers; inseparable whenever Andrew was in town. He held his friends body close to himself and cried. Small though the probability had been, deep down he had still hoped that Trevor was still alive some how. Now there was no more hope only hard cold reality. Andrew spent a few minutes crying on his friend's body. His recent exertions had left him drained emotionally and physically.

Setting the body down Andrew took out his knife and cut a small square from the jacket. He placed it in his pocket with the picture and then began the arduous task of burial. There would be no grave but at least he could cover his body with stones to keep any scavengers away. A few minutes later his best friend rested beneath a pile of rubble. Andrew stood over the grave. He thought he should say something, that's what you did at funerals, but nothing seemed appropriate.

"Words are insufficient," a voice said behind him. Andrew jumped and turned around; pulling his pistol and pointing at the voice. "Easy lad, we're on the same side," an old man said. Andrew stared at him dumbly. Was he dreaming? Was there really a person, a still living and breathing human, standing in front of him? "A waste of energy," the man said, "Who was it?"

Andrew turned to the makeshift grave and found his voice again, "He was… _is_ my best friend."

"Did you do this?" the man asked looking at the crashed ship. He was dressed in raggedy jeans and a sweater. A threadbare great coat hung from his thin shoulders. A cap rested off center on his balding head, wisps of white hair peeking out from under it.

"Yes." The man gave a low whistle.

"Mighty fine shooting. Killed more in one shot than the rest of us in two days," he commented.

"Us?" Andrew said. There were more survivors.

"Didn't think you were the only one left, did ye?"

"Haven't seen anyone since they attacked; only dead bodies," Andrew answered.

"Not from the city are you?" the man asked.

"No, a farm about two hundred kilometers outside the city."

"Thought all you folks were dead," the man said.

"Not quite," Andrew said with a small smile.

"They attacked here just before dawn. It was mass chaos. Lucky for me I was near the sewage planet and hid in the tunnels. Just out scavenging for food myself," the man said. Andrew didn't answer but stared at the ship. So many emotions were wreaking havoc in his mind. He had done it. He had found survivors. He was alive and relatively uninjured. But… so many were dead, the man made it sound like there weren't too many survivors. He wanted to cry; just curl into a ball and cry. He was with an adult now and adults protected kids, right?

"Don't go bawling on me, now," the man said noticing the tears forming in the teen's eyes.

"I won't," Andrew said wiping them away, "It's just…"

"I hear ya lad. Things like this don't happen every day." Andrew nodded his thanks. "If you want I could use some company," the man offered, "I'm not as spry as I used to and food is a mite harder to find now a days."

"Thanks," Andrew accepted.

"Nice pistol you have there," he commented after they had gone a few meters.

"Yeah… a friend didn't need it anymore," Andrew answered pulling it out handing it to the man.

"M6D, officers only, very solid weapon. I see three rounds are missing," he said handing it back.

"Killed three of the bears and two of the little ones before sunrise."

"Impressive. I think you'll fit in just fine with us. Got any other surprises in the pouch?" the man asked.

"Just some fruit, a canteen, med kit, binoculars, and some alien grenades," Andrew answered.

"Sounds like you're doing quite fine on your own."

"It' only been two days," Andrew pulled a plum out of his bag, "The ship interrupted breakfast. You want one?"

"No thank ya. I had some food before I left," the man said. They walked in silence for a few minutes before Andrew spoke again.

"So what are you doing do so far from downtown?" he asked.

"That part was hit pretty hard. Almost everything is a pile of rubble. Figured the better folk may have some food. "

"Any luck?"

"Nay, I'm not as young as I used to. Walls are a bit too high and the gates are all locked from the inside."

"I guess that's where I come in?" Andrew said.

"Smart one ain't ya? Yup, I'll boost you over the walls and then you can unlock the gates. Right now I'm planning on getting as far from that crash site as possible. Place will be crawling with critters soon."

"Sounds like a plan." A few minutes later the old man halted.

"This is a good place. Owner was planning on having a shindig soon; should be a lot of food. Up you go," he said cupping his hands and boosting the teen up. Andrew scurried onto the top of the wall.

"Well don't just sit there. Foods not just gonna leap out at ya," the man said.

"I don't think any food is coming out of here. The house collapsed. Looks like a bomb hit it or something," Andrew shouted down.

"Damn! Bastards can't make anything easy! Alright come down and we'll try another one." Andrew jumped down and they continued on their way.

"This should be a good one," the man said pointing across the street, "Had a big family." Andrew was boosted up onto the wall again and was thankful that this house was intact. He scanned the complex for any signs of danger.

"Everything's good. I'll meet you at the gate," he shouted down. The man waved his acknowledgement and Andrew lowered himself down into the courtyard, wincing as his stomach brushed the concrete wall. There didn't seem to be much damage at all to the house. He walked over to the gate and lifted a lever.

"I think we're going to make good partners," the old man said as he entered. They walked to the front door which was open. The old man was about to enter but Andrew stepped in front of him.

"Don't know what's inside," he said pulling out his pistol and taking the safety off. He listened for a few seconds before cautiously entering.

"Yes, he'll do mighty fine," he heard the old man mumble as he followed Andrew in.

"I'm pretty sure it's clear. I don't think they have enough respect for us yet to plan an ambush," Andrew said.

"Good lad. Your parents raised you well."

"Thank you," he answered a bit awkwardly while looking at the ground. The subject of parents was a bit sensitive.

"Cheer up lad; there should be a feast in here," the man said. The man pulled two burlap sacks from his coat and they soon set about gathering food. Andrew began gathering the canned goods first; they would last the longest and survive the trip better. When he had filled his bag the man gave him another and he repeated the process.

"How many people does this have to feed?" Andrew asked when he brought back his second bag. He had also added more fruit and a loaf of French bread to his satchel.

"Less than twenty, but you can never have too much food," the man answered.

"Well I don't think we can carry much more," Andrew said looking at the four filled bags.

"Aye, four should last for a few days," the man said taking out a ball of twine and biting a piece off.

"Here," Andrew said offering his knife.

"You sure are full of surprises," the man said. He cut off three more pieces and handed the knife back. "Think you can handle one of 'em?" he asked.

"Hay bales on the farm were heavier and I had to throw those up into the loft," the teen answered. They headed back out into the courtyard. Andrew had to stop the man from just barging out onto the streets. He wasn't sure if maybe whoever the guy was with hadn't sent him on this trip to get killed. He didn't seem very tactically aware.

"Do you do this all the time?" the man asked somewhat impatiently.

"Shhh!" Andrew hushed. It was rude but now was not the time to stand on ceremony. His eye caught movement down the street. He set his bag down and took out his binoculars, switching off the night vision so he didn't blind himself. It was a good thing he had stopped the man, three bear's and a whole cackle of smaller ones were headed in their direction. One bear was huge and was dressed in golden armor. Obviously these aliens had no talent for camouflage.

"Bags aren't getting any lighter," the man complained.

"A patrol of aliens!" Andrew hissed. The man fell silent. "I don't know this section, do you know of another way to your place." He stopped and seemed at a loss for words, as if them meeting aliens had never occurred to him. "There has to be a back entrance," Andrew whispered. He left the door ajar and headed back into the house. They tiptoed out the back, careful not to make any noise crossing the hardwood floors. They entered the backyard and began searching for a door.

"I found it," the man said motioning at Andrew. He ran over to him and saw the wrought iron door hidden behind vines.

"Is it locked?" Andrew asked.

"Just barred," the man answered. He lifted it up and slowly opened the door careful not to let it creak. Andrew poked his head through to make sure the coast was clear and then they slipped out into another street.

"This should lead us straight to downtown too," Andrew noted.

"Aye but we don't want downtown," the man said. He led the way down the street carrying the three bags of food. Andrew followed closely on his heels careful to keep an eye out for any more aliens. They had walked about one kilometer when the man turned down a narrow alley. He led the way for more than an hour twisting and turning down side streets and alley ways. This was a part of the city he had never been to but Andrew new their general direction was leading them to the poorer part of town.

When the man turned onto a main thoroughfare Andrew froze. The road was literally covered in dead bodies. Rivers of blood and guts ran down the street. Flies and other scavengers feasted on the flesh. Andrew stared in horror.

"The aliens attack from both sides of the city. This is where they met," the man explained.

"How long are we going to be on this?" Andrew asked.

"A few hundred meters is the sewer entrance," the man answered pointing down the street before stepping out. Andrew gulped and took one deep breath before following after him. The blood and guts made sucking noises wherever he stepped; he would have to find new sneakers. The stench was horrible and he pulled his sweater up as a makeshift mask.

"Hurry up," the man said holding open a sewer cover. Andrew walked the last few steps and looked into the black hole. If possible the stench was worse than in the street. "Drop your bag down and climb down," the man directed. Andrew complied and dropped the bag. He took a deep breath before climbing down. It was about twenty feet before he hit the sewer line. Once there he picked up his bag and dragged it away.

"Now I'll drop my bags and you drag 'em away so they don't land on each other." Andrew followed the directions and soon the man was standing next to him. The stench didn't seem to bother him. They picked up their bags and continued on their way. Andrew took out the binoculars and switched on night vision so he could see. It looked like the old man knew this way by heart.

"How much farther is it?" Andrew asked after several minutes.

"This tunnel leads into the main sewer line underneath Main Street," the old man answered, "Much of the tunnel under downtown has collapsed; it created a nice little ledge for our camp." That didn't exactly answer his question but Andrew didn't say anything. The gunk in the sewage had seeped through his sneakers and every step the ooze would squish between his toes. Through the binoculars he could see rats scurrying away from them. They trudged on for maybe half an hour before meeting the main sewer line.

It was a massive tunnel big enough for a Scorpion tank to drive through. To his right he could see the massive cave in illuminated by light streaming through gaping holes in the roof. The man walked along the side of the tunnel until they arrived at the wall of debris. They began climbing upward till they were about three quarters of the way up. Hidden by shadows was a small hole in the wall, just big enough for a man.

The old man stooped down and crawled inside. Andrew hesitated for a second before following after him. It was only five meters or so till he was on the other side. The old man was already nearly half way down the pile by then. Andrew paused to take in the scene. About three meters above the tunnel floor at the foot of the mountain of debris was a flat area the width of the tunnel and about twenty meters long. Several men were working on building a wall along the far edge about a meter high. A ramp in the center led down to the tunnel floor. Several fires burned in the space with five or six men sleeping by them. None one seemed to care as the old man walked to the center of the encampment and dumped his bags.

Andrew began his descent careful not to slip on the loose rubble. At the bottom he did as the old man and dumped his food in the middle. He watched as the old man found an empty place by the fire and lay down. Andrew went over to him.

"What do we do now?" he asked.

"Wait," the old man said before turning over. Andrew sighed he hated waiting.

"Shouldn't we be figuring a way to escape?" Andrew pestered.

"Where to?" the old man asked, "Do ye think Utgard is any safer?"

"Yes actually. Utgard has a larger militia and the contingent of marines. We should be trying to get there, to the space elevators, and up to Tiara."

"In time, but now we wait for the others to return." Andrew huffed at this comment. Doing nothing was not something he excelled at. He briefly considered leaving. They obviously expected to stay here for a time. He wanted to get off this planet; there was nothing holding him here anymore. He looked around for something to do. He could help with the wall or he could explore the tunnel. Neither option was particularly appealing but he decided that knowing the terrain was more important for his goals than building a wall.

He decided to start with the massive pile of rubble. If they were ever attacked he figured there would be rush at the main tunnel. Knowing other escape routes could be a life saver. Andrew took out his binoculars and scanned the mountain for any specks of light. Three or four stood out; all were near the top. He began the ascent to the closest one.

The spot was almost directly above him in the center. Once there he saw that there was a gaping whole in the rubble. He cautiously entered it, careful to make sure it wasn't about to cave in on him. Only a few meters in he found his way blocked by a massive steel beam. Copious amounts of light shown through holes around it but none were big enough for him to crawl through.

He exited the tunnel and went to the next one. This was a fairly small hole but it looked a lot safer than the other. He shed his satchel and crawled into it. It was small enough already but it quickly became unbearably tight. He felt the uneven ground pulling at his clothes as he forced his body down the tunnel. His bruised body did not appreciate the tight space and complained, loudly, for him to go back. After what seemed like an eternity he poked his head out the far side.

He took a moment to rest, enjoying the bright midday sun. That tunnel had taken way to long to be used as an escape route. He would need to find another way. Andrew brushed pieces of dirt from his. He couldn't imagine what he looked like. Face covered in blood, dirt, and soot; his hair probably was a complete greasy mess. He probably looked the picturesque war orphan.

The way back was even tougher, like petting a shark the wrong way. It took a lot longer for him to get back. Bits of metal tugged on his clothes and several times he had to go backwards to un-snag himself. Finally he was back above the camp. Everything was still quiet. The men had stopped building the wall and were now drinking by a fire.

Andrew picked up his satchel and moved on to the next bright patch in the mound. This was over on the far side and nearly at the top of the pile of rubble. It wasn't an easy climb, the rubble was very loose that far up, but when he got there he saw to his delight a hole, maybe two meters long, just big enough for him to crawl through. He made his way through on his hands and knees and back onto the other side. The sun was still high in the sky and Andrew saw that there was a ladder only a couple meters away that led to the surface.

Andrew took a seat and pulled an orange and piece of bread from his satchel. He cut a chunk off with his knife and began to eat lunch. Today had been a roller coaster ride of emotions and it was only half way done. He had kicked some major alien ass today, but at the same time that street and Trevor's pale form would forever be etched in his mind. When he was finished he buried his trash, best to leave no traces, and crawled back to the camp side. Next he was going to explore the other side of the sewer.

He clambered down the mountain of rubble and walked to the ramp. He noted with disdain that most of the men were drunk. He was getting the feeling that these weren't the best kind of people. He continued down the ramp and into the dark sewer tunnel. He took out his binoculars and scanned his surroundings. From were he stood, about fifty meters from the ramp, he could see four or five openings.

He walked to the first one. It was fairly large, big enough for his mongoose to drive through. Andrew started down it. The stench was as bad as in the tunnel he had come in; probably because there wasn't as many blood and guts draining into it. He trudged along for several hundred meters before he found a ladder to the surface. He climbed up it and pushed on the cover. It didn't budge.

"Probably blocked by rubble," the said to himself. He climbed down and walked another couple hundred meters to another ladder. Same results. Deciding this wasn't a good escape route if needed he backtracked to the main tunnel to explore the second tunnel. This was a slightly smaller tunnel, with a large amount of sewage emptying out of it. Andrew decided against exploring it.

The third tunnel was much better. It was completely dry and larger then either of the other two. After walking nearly a kilometer and not seeing any ladders to the manhole covers at the surface, he began to wonder what this tunnel had been used for. He continued for another kilometer or so when he saw the end of the tunnel. He stopped and stared at it. What good was a sewage tunnel that didn't, couldn't, drain sewage?

Andrew knocked on the concrete wall in front of him. It was solid. He began to examine the walls. Within a few minutes he found the faint etching of an eye in a triangle with a circle around it: the ONI seal. He pushed it and was surprised to feel it give slightly. He took out his knife and starting with the center of the symbol dragged the blade against the wall till it found a small crack. Pressing the blade in further Andrew was able to pry a small panel off the wall exposing a key pad.

Now his interest was really pricked. The key pad was surprisingly still lit so he surmised it probably had its own power source. He pried that off and began trying to hot wire it. Between building that projector with his brothers and repairing broken farm robots Andrew knew a thing or two about circuits.

However a thing or two was not good enough to beat the professionals of ONI. Several minutes later he gave up and replaced the keypad. He randomly typed in a password hoping to get lucky.

"Password invalid," a computerized female voice said. Andrew jumped back. He hadn't been expecting that.

"Can you answer questions?" Andrew asked wondering if it was connected to an AI.

"Negative," it answered. Andrew almost laughed. Only an AI would come back with an answer like that. He took it as an invitation to keep talking.

"So what does this keypad do?" he asked.

"Classified," it almost snapped.

"Does ONI have some facility here?"

"Classified."

"I can see why. We don't rebel as much here as in Utgard. So what goes on in here?"

"Classified."

"Is anything not classified?"

"Current temperature is eleven point six seven degrees Celsius. Wind is ten miles per hour from the southeast…"

"I mean something interesting," Andrew clarified. There was a short pause before it answered again.

"Negative."

"Shoot, can't you just let me in. I mean it's kind of an exceptional circumstance."

"How?"

"What do you mean how? Gladsheim was attacked," he answered shocked that it didn't know that.

"By who?"

"Is there anyone in there, because this is no longer funny," Andrew said in frustration tapping on the keypad

"Please answer the question," the AI directed.

"I don't know. Two days alien ships started arriving and they've basically killed almost everyone. Large parts of the city have been destroyed."

"The UNSC has not had contact with sentient alien races yet," the AI said flatly.

"Tell me something I don't know. But they're here and I'm just trying to survive."

"Where are your parents?"

"Had to bring that up didn't you? Dead, along with nearly everyone else."

"Are you the only survivor?" she asked.

"No, there are a few others. Less than twenty from what I've seen," Andrew answered.

"Any news from Utgard?"

"I wouldn't know. Haven't found a way to contact the outside world yet. If you're ONI shouldn't you be able to contact someone?" Andrew asked.

"Negative," the AI answered, "I am fully isolated within the facility."

"So you've haven't been outside this place since you got here?"

"Affirmative."

"Must be boring."

"Understatement," she answered. Andrew smiled. This was not just any AI, it was a real AI. Dumb AIs could never be bored, but smart ones were practically human.

"So what are you doing in there?"

"Classified."

"I mean now. Unless you run this place alone, I bet the ONI people who work in there aren't around."

"Waiting for further instructions," she said.

"I could give you some," Andrew said.

"You do not have authorization."

"Look you can spend the rest of your life in there, alone, or you can let me come in and together we can find a way off this planet." The AI was silent; thinking over the proposition. For Andrew it was a few agonizing seconds before she answered.

"Agreed," she said and the end of the tunnel slid open. Andrew walked through it and found himself in what looked like a laboratory. A refrigerator with thousands of vials lined one side of the square light blue colored room. On the other side were tables with lots of expensive looking equipment. On the far side was a stairwell.

"So what is this place?" Andrew asked.

"This is the ONI lab for Advanced Agricultural Research," the AI answered.

"I guess that kind of makes sense, but why ONI?"

"Food supplies were rated a level three security threat. Considering the unstable political situation on Harvest ONI decided to conduct research to improve yields on other planets."

"But the lab was still placed on Harvest," Andrew noted the slight inconsistency.

"Affirmative. No other planet afforded a better place to test various strains of plants unnoticed."

"Because who would care if someone was growing crops on Harvest. I see," Andrew said, "So what's up those stairs?"

"Cafeteria, offices, storage room, and elevator to the surface."

"So if they were doing research here, but you can't communicate with the outside; how did they send ONI their data?" Andrew asked while staring at the thousands of vials.

"All the information was placed in a container and launched into orbit under the guise of a weather satellite. A UNSC Navy vessel would retrieve it."

"Sounds like someone is a bit paranoid about seeds," Andrew commented.

"Perhaps, but given the political instability…"

"You've mentioned that already. So is there a place I can unplug you from and carry you with me?"

"The main computer terminal upstairs," she answered. After he was up there she gave him further directions to the location of the terminal. It was in a room at the very end of a long hallway.

"So which one is you?" he asked when he saw all the slots.

"Slot G. Do you have any medium I can travel in?" she asked.

"What do ya mean?"

"A helmet?" Andrew shook his head no. "Computer?" Again Andrew gestured no. "A computer compatible nervous system?"

"Do you think I'm a cyborg or something?" Andrew said incredulously, "Is that even possible?"

"Have you ever heard of Spartans?" she queried.

"No… wait. Aren't they those strong highly trained warriors who are practically invincible?"

"Yes."

"But I thought Sparta was destroyed thousands of years ago?" If a computer could groan this AI mostly certainly would have.

"This isn't going to work," she said flatly.

"Why not?"

"Because I need a medium to travel in."

"Wait because you can't travel in first class you say this can't work?" Andrew said incredulously, "Look, things are different now. There are a lot of things I wished were better now. My whole family was slaughtered before my eyes. I've seen my mentor's decapitated body, and this morning I found the body of my best friend. And you're upset because the chip you're in isn't fancy enough?" Andrew's voice rose to a crescendo.

"I'm sorry. I did not realize."

"What did you think nearly everyone's dead mean?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't communicate through the chip," she explained.

"Apology accepted. So what do we do now?" Andrew asked.

"There should be a PDA in one of the offices. Take out the memory chip and bring it back here," she answered. Andrew exited the room and went across the hall. The AI unlocked the door for him. Inside he found two of the devices on top of the desk.

"The one on the left has a holographic display and sensory equipment."

"Okay," Andrew replied picking it up.

"So do you still want to come out of there?" he asked when he was back in the room.

"No point in staying here," she answered.

"Good choice. I've been a bit lonely since… the attack and the people I met up with don't seem too talkative. Are you ready?"

"Go ahead," she answered. Andrew pulled the chip out of the slot and stared at it.

"Now what?" he asked.

"We find a way off this planet," she answered a hologram forming above the PDA.

"Cool, well I guess if were going to be spending a lot of time together we should introduce ourselves. I'm Andrew Conyers."

"Sifa."

"Goddess of the harvest," Andrew said.

"Very good. Not many people know that one."

"I still can't believe they put a full fledged AI on agricultural research."

"Neither can I," Sifa sighed.

"I gather you didn't want to be here?"

"I run DNA simulations all day long. Not the most exciting thing in the galaxy. I wasn't exactly designed for this. My sister is…"

"AIs can have sisters?" a confused Andrew asked.

"We came from the same brain. My sister, Cortana, is on Reach working on a secret project."

"I thought you were isolated in here?"

"I receive periodic updates," she answered. "If you don't mind me asking, where are we going?" she asked when Andrew stopped at the elevator.

"I'd like to see where we are. Besides there's nothing's going on back at the camp."

"I thought the city was crawling with aliens?"

"There's a few but not that many. But no need to worry; I've killed a couple already. Even shot down one of their ships," Andrew said proudly as he stepped onto the elevator.

"Impressive. I didn't realize I was in the company of a great warrior."

"No need to be jealous of your sister; you're with Andrew Conyers the greatest alien killer in Gladsheim," he boasted.

"And probably the only," she joked.

"You're probably right," Andrew said sadly. They stepped off the elevator in silence; Sifa realized she had hit a sensitive spot with her new companion. Andrew looked at his new surroundings. It looked like he was in an office building of some sorts. Accept this one had gaping holes in the walls and the partially collapsed roof.

"I'm going to have to put you away for a few seconds while I climb up there," he said. The hologram disappeared and Andrew stuck it in his satchel before he climbed up to the roof. It was only a two story building but on the flat plains of Ida you could see forever. Downtown was at most three kilometers away and Andrew could see the three storey hotel, the tallest inhabitable building in downtown Gladsheim, still standing tall and relatively unharmed. He took a seat on the roof and pulled out Sifa.

"We're in the industrial district," he said.

"Wow, you were right. It looks like there's been a war here."

"Yup and unfortunately we're on the losing side," he said stretching out and lying on the roof.

"Are you planning on staying here a while?" she asked.

"I'm not used to being underground so much. The sun is kind of nice," he answered yawning.

"You've got quite a collection of goodies in the bag. I take it those blue balls are alien grenades," she said.

"Yup, used two of them already. Nice things, they stick to whatever they hit, so there's no getting away if it touches you. That G-shaped thing is a gun but I haven't had the time to figure it out yet."

"Interesting," she mused and Andrew could tell she was thinking about something, "I bet the past few days have been hard on you. How are you holding up?" Andrew sighed. Why did she keep bringing this back up?

"I'm alive," he answered laconically.

"That's not what I meant. How are you mentally?"

"Is this some kind of psychological analysis?" he asked propping himself up on his elbows.

"Yes, when AIs are paired with humans for missions a lot of work is done to assure they are compatible."

"This isn't a mission and I'm not a soldier. I'm a thirteen year old kid who really wants to go back to fruit picking."

"You would have liked to stay on this planet?" she asked. Andrew sighed. She really knew what questions to ask.

"Before all this," he started gesturing towards downtown, "All I wanted was to leave, to go somewhere… exciting, to be part of big and important things. I wanted my life to be more than just the life of a farmer; I wanted to make a difference. Now… I would do anything to be just a farmer, to have my family back again."

"I think we'll be just fine together," Sifa said.

"You want to see 'em?" Andrew asked.

"My family. I've got a picture with me," he said pulling it out of his pocket. "We lived on a farm about two hundred kilometers outside the city. I used to ride a mongoose in everyday to go to school. Those were some fun times. I can remember the first time my dad let me drive the tractor. It was in the north field and we were plowing the fields for the second quarter planting season. My dad told me what all the gears and levers did and then set me off. That season we had oddly shaped rows of corn in that field. My brothers wouldn't let me hear the end of it for months."

"They sound like a good family."

"The best. I only wish…" Andrew turned away to hide his tears, "I only wish I could have told them one last time how much I loved them."

"I'm sure they know," Sifa consoled. "What's that?" she asked pointing at the orange square peeking out of his pocket.

"Oh that," Andrew said pulling it out, "It's just a piece of my best friend's jacket. It saved my life."

"How so?"

"An alien ship was chasing me. I was running down a street when this caught my eye. I wasn't looking were I was going and I tripped; landed right next to a rocket launcher. Picked that bad boy up and BAM those aliens met their maker."

"I like it," Sifa said.

"Like what?"

"The one thing that makes a good man great."

"What's that?"

"Luck." Andrew chuckled at this.

"Never thought of it that way," he said, "Now you know about me. So what about you? Any adventures to speak of?"

"Not really. When they created me alongside my sister we were supposed to both be used for the Spartan program, but we were so similar we proved incompatible. Cortana was the older and Dr. Halsey, out creator, was more intimate with her. Since they didn't trust anyone else with me I was exiled here."

"Sounds like you might be the one with emotional issues," Andrew said.

"No. I may not have liked the decision, but it was the appropriate one. The program was more important than anyone individual; computer or human."

"I'll take your word for it. I wish we had some of those Spartan here. I bet they could kick these aliens from one side of town to the other."

"They probably could, but instead we're stuck with Andrew Conyers: The Greatest Alien Killer in Gladsheim." Andrew chuckled at this. He didn't know AIs had such a sense of humor.

"Do you hear something," Andrew asked suddenly.

"A slight whistling noise, but the wind…"

"It's not the wind. More like a…" Andrew turned around and pulled out his binoculars. "I've never seen those before," he said. Two bulbous purple craft were flying high above the city in circles. What looked like stabilizers jutted out on either side.

"They look like fighters of some sort," Sifa said, "Perhaps now would be a good time to leave."

"That's a good idea. Wouldn't want to die after just meeting each other," Andrew gazed a few seconds longer before putting the binoculars away. He picked up Sifa and made his way down pile of rubble to the elevator.

"Do you know the password?" he asked when faced with another keypad.

"1472," she answered. Andrew punched in the numbers and the elevator slid open. Andrew stepped inside and hit the button for the bottom floor.

"Do you know if there are any supplies worth taking in here?" he asked as they stepped back into the hidden facility.

"Other than food, no."

"We can come back for that later," Andrew said as he walked back down the stairs. The door leading back to the sewage tunnel closed behind him they passed through.

"One thing before we get there," Andrew said when they were almost at the junction with the main sewer tunnel, "Don't show yourself to these guys. We may all be humans but a smart AI is still a pretty valuable thing. They might think it could be put to better use by one of them."

"Understood. I will remain concealed when I sense any of them are around."

"Good. Well here we go. Time to see if they're still as drunk as I left them." Andrew stepped into the main tunnel. From what he could see the camp was still as sleepy as before. He walked back up the ramp and scanned the camp. Everyone was lying by a fire. No guards were posted or alarms lain. If he had been an alien patrol they would be dead. He walked over to an empty fire and threw another piece of wood on it before taking Sifa out.

"It's safe. Everyone's asleep," he told her.

"Hold me up. I want to get a lay of the camp," she said. Andrew held the device above his head and Sifa quickly scanned the camp.

"Not much too it," Andrew said when she was done.

"No there isn't. Very low levels of discipline, no guards; I'd feel a lot better if that wall was finished."

"Well don't expect anything too soon. Now I think I'll catch some shut eye before… something happens. I think they're waiting for others too return."

"You go right ahead. I'll just crunch some data."

"What data?" Andrew asked.

"I'll find something."

"Whatever you say. See you in a little bit and make sure no one sees you," Andrew cautioned one last time before rolling on his side. It had been a fairly exciting day and though it was only the mid afternoon he fell asleep fairly quickly. When Andrew awoke he nearly had a heart attack. He was lying in his bed and his mom was standing over him holding a bowl of soup.

"Where am I?" he asked extremely confused.

"You've been very sick. We didn't think you'd make it," she answered.

"No, I was in Gladshiem; in the sewer systems," Andrew protested.

"All a dream. You've had a high fever and a lung infection…"

"But I swear I was in the sewer. You all were dead and I…"

"Shh. It was only a dream. You're fine now."

"Is he awake?" his dad said entering the room.

"Yes, but I still think he's too weak."

"Too weak for what?" Andrew asked.

"Shh. No need to worry about anything yet."

"Answer me!" Andrew suddenly yelled extremely mad, "What's going on? I wasn't sick."

"You don't remember?" his dad asked somewhat incredulously.

"Remember what?"

"The incident with… Suzie," his mom said.

"What incident?"

"You took her for a ride out into the fields and you came back alone," his dad answered.

"What!? NO! I never took here for a ride. She died with you guys on my birthday."

"No, you came back alone, walked in the front door, and collapsed," his dad said.

"That didn't happen…" Andrew said in a whisper.

"Son, I know this is hard on you but we need to know what happened," his father said.

"Nothing happened. This isn't real," Andrew protested trying to get up. His dad roughly pushed him back down. His mom started crying.

"You left here didn't you? You abandoned your four year old sister. You could have saved her," his father said harshly.

"No, there was nothing I could. They would have found her any way."

"You didn't even try. You watched as she died and did nothing, nothing!" his father screamed. Tears started falling down Andrew's face as he tried to remember what happened.

"I couldn't… I don't remember… This isn't real," Andrew screamed covering his ears. His father yanked him up and pulled his hands away.

"You could have saved her. You could have saved her," he repeated.

"No, there wasn't anything I could do. They would have found her anyway." His bedroom door flung open and in walked his brothers. One was missing a leg and the other had a huge gash on his abdomen. They were carrying a bloody rabbit.

"You could have saved her," they said.

"NOOOO!" Andrew screamed.

"Mom please, you have to believe me," he looked over at her only to see her eyes roll back into her head and her head fall off.

"You could have saved us all," his dad said.

"Andrew! Andrew!" The teen turned over to see who was calling his name. Suddenly his room disappeared and he was back in the sewer tunnel staring at Sifa.

"You were having a nightmare," she said. With shaking hands Andrew grabbed his satchel and took out the canteen. He took a long swig. His body was covered in sweat and he was breathing rapidly. It was a while before he was calm enough to answer.

"Yeah," he said laconically.

"You want to talk about it?" she continued.

"No," he said determinately.

"If we're going to be a team we need to trust each other. You can't keep you're emotions pent up inside. I need to know I can trust you," she argued. Andrew turned to the fire and took another drink of water. He stared into the flames.

"It was about your family," she said. It wasn't a question.

"Yes," Andrew sniffled brushing tears out of his eyes.

"Were you back on the farm?"

"Yes. I was in my room and my family was accusing me of letting Suzie die… I couldn't have done anything though. If I had tried to save her I would be dead and they would have found her anyway." Sifa was silent for a few seconds before she answered.

"Sometimes I forget you're just a teenager," she said.

"Huh?" Andrew asked not sure what she was getting at.

"You've held up so well. You've survived and probably killed more aliens then everyone else here combined. You've gone through a very traumatic experience but yet look at you. You've gathered tools necessary to keep you alive; explored areas so that you can escape quickly in an emergency. Everyone else took to drinking their sorrows away, but you made a goal and are working towards it. You've acted so mature that I forget you're only thirteen." Andrew wiped tears from his eyes and stared at the fire.

"Thanks," he said after a few seconds.

"You're welcome. I sense someone approaching; see you soon," she said before disappearing and turning off the PDA. Andrew stuck it in his bag and waited.

"Boy," the old man said coming up to him, "Come, you're needed." Andrew had no idea what for but he stood up and followed the man. He led Andrew to a group of men huddled around a fire near the center. From the looks of it they were newly arrived. The old man lead him to what Andrew surmised was the leader.

"Here he is," the old man said pushing Andrew forward. The man addressed was a tall fellow, about two meters, and extremely muscular. He stared at the teen in front of him and Andrew stared back.

"Nice side arm. M6Ds are reliable," the man spoke first.

"Thank you. A friend didn't need it anymore."

"What do you have in the bag?"

"Things I've picked up. Food, water, binoculars, med kit," Andrew answered.

"The old man said you shot down one of their ships. Is that true?"

"Yes," Andrew didn't know why but he did not like the tone of that question.

"Killed many aliens?"

"Five definitely and then however many were in the ship."

"What have you been doing since you got here?" the leader asked.

"I explored the sewers," for some reason Andrew felt the man was not pleased with that answer, "and then slept for about an hour."

"Are you rested?"

"Enough."

"Get some more. We leave at nightfall," the man indicated the interview was over.

"Where to?" Andrew asked. The man looked back at him with a look that said he wasn't to be questioned by a boy, but Andrew didn't care. It was his life after all.

"To hunt aliens," he answered. Andrew was secretly glad the man didn't consider him useless.

"Shouldn't we be trying to find away off this planet?" Andrew asked. They leader now looked very annoyed.

"The navy will send vessels soon enough."

"But in the mean time shouldn't we at least try to make it to Utgard. I'm sure the UNSC will attack there first and there is a contingent of marines already there. We could join up with them and fight together."

"Boy," the man said in a very stern voice, "We are staying here. I suggest you get some rest; it's going to be a long night." He turned back to the fire and took a cup off of a nearby stone. Andrew new the interview was officially over.

He turned around and walked back to his fire. As he was doing so he heard the old man say, "He'll be good. Won't get scared and give our position away." Several heads nodded in agreement. Andrew didn't pay any attention to it. He took a seat beside the fire and took out Sifa.

"Are you sure no one's looking," she said without appearing as a hologram.

"No, the fire covers us and if anyone comes I'll tell them it's an audio journal."

"Good lie, so what are you going to go with them?"

"I don't think there's another option. Besides it will be fun to kill more alien bastards."

"Just don't forget your goal; our goal. If they don't formulate a better long term strategy soon we might want to strike out on our own again."

"Agreed, but until then we play along. After all there's safety in numbers."

"What are we going to do between now and leaving?" Sifa asked.

"I don't know. I don't feel like going to sleep again but there's not really anything to do." They both though about this problem before Andrew came up with something.

"Hey, I've never been off world before. Perhaps you could tell me about other planets."

"Where would you like to start?" she asked.

"Reach. That's where my uncle and his family live."

"Alright," she said and a holograph of Reach appeared, "Reach is the second most important planet under UNSC control. It contains the second largest population center and the largest shipyards in the known galaxy. This is Menachite Mountain home to CASTLE Base, one of ONI's most important facilities. The planet is also contains the headquarters of HIGHCOM, FLEETCOM, and the UNSC Marine Corps," as she gave all this information other holographs of the places appeared. "There are twenty MAC guns defending the planet and typically over a hundred vessels are in the system at any one time. It is perhaps the safest place in all of UNSC space from military attacks."

"Alright, cool. So basically if Earth's the brains of the UNSC then Reach is the heart."

"You could say that."

"So tell me about another planet," Andrew asked.

"Which one?"

"I don't know any others. You pick."

"How about Beta Centauri?" she suggested.

"Sounds good to me."

"Beta Centauri is the farthest colony from earth. It is known for…"


	6. Day 4: February 14, 2525

_This chapter is the reason I gave it the M rating. Warning: Violence against a minor in this chapter. Not overly graphic but still if blood makes you squeamish you might want to skip this chapter and I'll put a summary of it at the beginning of my next update. For those who keep reading. Thanks for your time and I appreciate those who have reviewed. Your comments are priceless. _

_Cheers,_

T.J. Ryan

**Day 4 (and end of day 3): February 14, 2525**

"…So Arcadia is a resort planet. I never knew that, even though I've heard my dad talk about that's where some of our produce goes."

"Correct, though it also is a major agricultural planet," Sifa added.

"Someone's coming," Andrew said and Sifa disappeared.

"Watcha got there," a man in a long black trench coat said.

"Just a PDA. I'm using it for as an audio journal."

"Well get up. You're in for a long night." Andrew would have sworn the man smirked at him. He grabbed Andrew's arm and tried to pull him up.

"I'm not sick," Andrew protested pulling free, "I can get up on my own." The trench coat man just smiled but he let teen get up on his own. Andrew followed him to where a group of men were gathering. They were armed with various rifles and one had a jackhammer. The leader guy was in the center and appeared to be giving orders. The old man wasn't to be seen. Trench coat man grabbed Andrew's arm and pushed his way to the center.

"Here he is," he said shoving Andrew forward.

"Good. You'll by my side until I tell you otherwise."

"Okay," Andrew answered flippantly. The leader gave him a stern look but he didn't care. They were treating him like a kid so he would be one until the fight and then he'd show them. The talk seemed to be over and the leader started down the tunnel. Andrew stayed a couple meters behind him. He led the group of about eight men down the main sewer line for a few kilometers before turning off into a smaller tunnel. Everyone else had to stoop but Andrew walked upright. Maybe half a kilometer later they stopped.

"Up you go," the man said pointing at Andrew. He paused when he reached the top to take out his binoculars. He slowly lifted the cover and scanned the area with the binoculars.

"All clear," he shouted down before lifting the cover off and climbing up. He found himself in the inner courtyard of the hotel. He clambered up and scanned the area once more. Satisfied he was safe he began to examine his surroundings. The courtyard was relatively undamaged. Tropical trees adorned the outside and a pool lay in the center. Balconies from the hotel rooms opened surrounded the courtyard.

"It's so normal," he said softly.

"It won't be soon," the leader said who was beside Andrew, "Pretty soon it's going to be filled with dead alien bodies."

"Are we ambushing them?"

"Yes," the leader said and started walking to the far side of the pool where three flag poles stood.

"How do you know they'll come here? It doesn't look like they've ever been here."

"They'll come, don't worry," he said enigmatically. Andrew just shrugged. Everyone was out of the tunnel by now and following Andrew and the leader to the poles. The man stopped and stared at them. "This'll do," he said.

"For what?" Andrew asked. The leader sighed.

"Let's begin," before Andrew could react, strong hands pinned his arms to his side. He flailed wildly trying to get free.

"Let me go!" he screamed. He felt his side arm, knife, and, satchel removed. He continued kicking and screaming as he was pushed against the center flag pole. Someone produced a length of rope and soon Andrew's hands were securely fastened behind the flagpole. Everyone took a step back and Andrew lunged at them.

"Let me go," he yelled. The leader nodded to one of the men who fired a flare. He then stepped towards Andrew who tried to kick him.

"I wouldn't be doing that if I were you," he sneered grabbing Andrew's face and looking him straight in the eye. "The aliens will be here any minute and you better not give away our position cause if we all die…" he trailed off and let him go. Andrew tried to kick him again. "Do that again and I might let them take a piece out of you," the leader threatened. He returned to his men and gave them directions. They scattered and took position in the balconies overlooking the courtyard. "Just remember: things will go a lot easier if you cooperate," he said before leaving.

Andrew continued to struggle. He couldn't believe this was happening. He was being used as bait. The very thought of using anyone like this made him want to puke. After a few minutes he calmed down. Sifa was probably worried sick. He hoped they didn't plan on dividing his stuff; he would probably never see her again. As the minutes ticked by, he went from angry to scared. Every noise or shadow he thought were the aliens coming to investigate. He prayed they hadn't seen the flare.

His prayers weren't answered and soon enough he felt the rumbling of another ship. As much as he tried not to he started to shake. Too soon the ship appeared overhead and eight or nine aliens jumped down. All but one were the little ones; the other was a bear. It walked towards Andrew while the other fanned out and checked the rest of the courtyard.

Andrew was visibly shaking now and though he would never admit it he almost pissed his pants. The huge beast walked right up to him stopping mere inches from his face. Andrew wished he could say something; do anything, to show he wasn't afraid, but he couldn't. Fear had completely consumed him. He cowered as the creature bent down to his level. It shouted something and the others laughed in their high squeaky voices. Tears started to form in Andrew's eyes.

The creature leaned down till their faces were merely inches apart. Its breath smelled horrible and drool dripped down from its jaws. Andrew couldn't look at the evil in its eyes. It whispered something to Andrew; he couldn't understand what, and then it took a few steps back. With a roar it turned swung its claws at him. Andrew screamed as they dug into his chest tearing his shirt off. He collapsed onto his knees and started crying. Where were they? Had they gotten bored and left him. They bear laughed another deep hideous laugh and moved to swing again.

A shot rang out and hit the creature's armored head. Instantly more shots rang out and the aliens returned fire. Soon the courtyard was full of the sounds of battle. The ship above began firing its turret but was taken down by the rocket launcher. Andrew noticed none of this. He had curled himself into a ball at the base of the flagpole. He didn't even notice the battle was over till he felt his hands being undone and the leader hauling him to his feet. He held Andrew out at arms length and examined him.

"Don't think this will do him any good," a man behind him said picking up the tattered remains of his shirt.

"I expect you'll be more cooperative now?" the leader asked. Andrew still hadn't recovered enough to respond. He was still shaking and tears continued to flow down his face. "Come, we have another place picked out," he said when Andrew didn't respond. At this the boy came to life.

"No. Please don't. I can fight. The flare can still draw them into the ambush area. Please don't do this again," he pleaded.

"They like bait," the leader answered him, "They become distracted, careless when they see a helpless victim. That gives us the opportunity to strike. My men are too valuable to spare for a job like this."

"Why?" Andrew asked.

"Look kid, it's all about survival now. If that means sacrificing you so be it." With that he walked away back to the sewer entrance. Someone shoved Andrew in that direction and he stumbled and fell. He was picked up and half dragged half walked the rest of the way. He climbed down the ladder by himself and was pushed up next to the leader. He saw a man carrying his satchel. He really wished he could talk to Sifa right now. The leader led them back to the main sewer and then to another off shoot. He was still shaking, though that probably had more to do with it being winter and he being without a shirt. He began to feel the deep cuts across his chest. Blood still dripped out running down his chest and soaking into his jeans. They hurt a lot. He hoped they would at least clean and bandage it when they were through using him.

Too soon they were at another ladder. Andrew took a deep breath and knew what he had to do. His binoculars were handed too him and he climbed up. That's when an idea struck him. He could scan the surroundings; find an escape route, and then runaway. They would never catch him; he was too fast and he could sneak back and get Sifa later.

A few seconds later he was flying across the concrete plaza of the Gladsheim Agricultural School. He heard angry shouts behind him but he ignored them. His ran as fast as he could to the nearest building. He was almost there when he felt a sharp pain in his back. He was knocked off his feet and soon he felt a sharp pain in his leg. He tried to get up but another pain in his back knocked him down again. He tried to get up but another sharp pain kept him down.

"I told you things would go a lot easier if you cooperated," the leader said grabbing the teen by the scruff of his neck and hauling him up. "Rubber bullets, incase you decided to act up," he said showing Andrew the gun. He roughly shoved him back down. "Muzzle velocity of three hundred fifty meters per second with a one gram round. Highly effective and…" he shot Andrew again in the back, "Non lethal." Andrew yelped as the bullet impacted his bare back. "Get up," the leader ordered. When the teen didn't he kicked him in the abdomen. "I said get up," he yelled. Slowly Andrew rose to his feet and faced the man. He was greeted with another shot; this time to his wounded chest. He collapsed to the ground again and curled into a tight ball; whimpering in pain. "That should teach you. Drag him over there," the leader said. Two sets of hands grabbed Andrew and dragged him to a statue in the center of the plaza. A rope was thrown over the outstretched arm and tied around Andrews hands. He was then hauled into a standing position. A flare was fired and soon he was alone again.

It didn't take long for more aliens to find him. There were only five this time but two were bears. Andrew cowered when they approached; taunting him in their foreign language. One of them smacked him across the face; furry side, no claws; to get his attention. He started whimpering again which made them laugh even harder.

A shot rang out and soon the plaza was filled plasma and lead. The rocket launcher took out the bears. He screamed as shrapnel cut into his body. The battle soon ended and Andrew was cut down. He fell limply to ground before being hauled to his feet. They dragged him back to the sewer entrance and to another ambush site.

This time he was in a warehouse; tied like before with his hands over his head. A flare was shot outside and then they waited. Soon enough he heard the squeaky voices of the little aliens but this time they didn't walk up to him. Instead a pink dart flew out of a shadow and embedded itself in Andrew's side. He winced but it was more from it aggravating other injuries then from the dart. That changed when a few seconds later it exploded. He screamed in agony, only to watch in horror as another one flew at him. The torture went on for several minutes till Andrew was a bloody, sobbing, quivering mess hanging limply from the ropes. They had moved around to hit every single part of his body.

They stopped and seven of them walked up to him, probably for the kill Andrew thought. Finally the others fired. The aliens shrieked in surprise and ran in circles. It didn't take long for them to be bloody messes on the warehouse floor. The others came out and cut Andrew down. To weak to walk one of them flung him of his shoulder and carried him back to the sewer. Andrew noticed the sun was just peaking over the horizon. He prayed that would be it for the night.

His prayers were answered this time. The leader led the way back through the sewers to the main line. They weren't very gentle with Andrew. Whenever one tired of carrying him they dropped him and another would pick him up. When they arrived back at the camp Andrew was dropped several meters away from a fire. His hands were tied in front of him and a chain, secured to the ground with a stake, was attached to his leg.

He started crying again. This was a nightmare in a nightmare. Everything hurt. His body was covered in gaping wounds that he knew would soon be infected if they weren't cleaned soon. He shivered in the cold night air; the fire to far to provide much warmth. He was naked from the waist up and his jeans were badly torn. He was starving and thirsty, but no one offered him anything. He had never felt so alone.

"Shut up kid," someone shouted. Andrew stopped crying and instead whimpered quietly. He soon fell into a deep and merciful sleep.

Andrew had no idea how long it'd been when he felt hands shaking him awake. He opened his eyes to see the old man leaning over him.

"How ye feeling?" he asked. Andrew shook his head to try and clear the fog from his brain. He had a throbbing headache, felt sore all over, and extremely weak; not to mention he was freezing.

"Fine," he eventually answered.

"No need to lie. Anyone can see to the contrary. You've got a slight fever and these cuts need to be cleaned," the old man said gently lifting the boy up. "This might sting a little," he warned as he held up an alcohol soaked rag. Andrew gritted his teeth as the man tenderly rubbed it over his battered body. It stung badly but it was necessary.

"I thought we were on the same said?" Andrew eventually asked.

"We are," the old man answered continuing to clean the wounds.

"Then why?" Andrew asked in an almost pleading voice.

"Because they decided it's out best chance to survive."

"You don't need them. Help me escape and we can survive on our own." The old man gave him a sad smile.

"It will be easier if I take these off," the man said pointing to Andrew's jeans, "Can get to those cuts better." Andrew nodded his assent and the old man undid his belt buckle and jean snap before pulling them down to his ankles. The increased exposure made the teen shiver. The old man continued cleaning the wounds on Andrew's thighs and legs.

"Please, I don't think I can take another night," Andrew pleaded.

"Don't worry boy; they don't want you dead. None of them wants to take your place." Andrew sighed and looked at the ground. He still couldn't believe they had done that to him. The betrayal hurt more than the injuries. When the old man finished with the rag he took out a tube of antiseptic and applied it to the teen's wounds. After that he bandaged them and then pulled up his pants.

"Here have some of this," the man said putting a canteen to Andrew's lips. He drunk the water eagerly; he hadn't had any since before they left. "Are ye hungry?" the old man asked. Andrew nodded yes. The man left and soon came back with an MRE. He ripped it open then fed it to Andrew. It wasn't very tasty, but he was starving and new he needed his strength.

"Thank you," Andrew said when he was finished.

"I have no ill will for ye boy. I'm just sad things had to turn out this way. Now I suggest you get some rest; you'll be having another busy night." Andrew hung his head at these words. The last thing he wanted was to go through that again. The man gently laid him back down and then left Andrew to his thoughts. He sorely wished he could speak to Sifa; she would come up with a way to escape. But he couldn't reach her; he was alone so very much alone.

A tear slid down his cheek as he remembered how uncaring the men had been; how the leader had cruelly shot him and then strung him up like a piece of meat. He felt so powerless and the worst thing was there was no end in sight. If they died during an ambush he would die too. If they lived he would have to keep enduring this till help arrived. He wasn't sure he could take much more of this. He wanted to cry and so he did until sleep gave his fevered body a reprieve.

"Come on lad," Andrew felt hands pulling him into a sitting position. "You've got another long night ahead of ye." Andrew opened his eyes; everything was blurry. "I told ye; he's sick. If you want him to last ye better take care of him," he heard the old man say.

"Give him the pills and he'll be fine," a voice answered. Andrew felt him mouth pulled open and two pills shoved inside. It was followed by a rush of water.

"There now. Ye should feel better soon," the old man said while Andrew coughed. The old man untied his hands and unchained his ankle. Andrew was still too feverish to do more than notice what was happening. He was laid back down and more water was forced between his lips. Eventually the fog in his head started to disappear and he could make sense of what was happening.

"I told ye would feel better. Now how about we try to get some of this down your throat," the old man said proffering him a cup of water. Andrew sipped it slowly, trying to prolong his respite.

"Please don't let them take me," he pleaded when he was finished.

"We both know there's nothing I can do. It will be over soon enough." The old man hauled him to his feet placing his arm under him for support and walked him over to where a group of men had gathered.

"I expect greater cooperation tonight," the leader said. Andrew silently nodded his assent; the bruises from the rubber bullets still stung. He noted the leader was carrying his knife, pistol, and satchel. A jacket was thrown to him, which he gently placed over his naked torso, and they started down the sewer main. Andrew tried to keep his spirits up; though the thought of spending another terror filled night of being bait to lure savage creatures was hardly heartening. He was again sent up to make sure all was clear. This time he found himself in front of city hall. Once again he was led to a flagpole.

"Wouldn't want to ruin this," a man said removing the jacket before securing him. A flare was shot and so began his second night of horror. They came quickly this time; a dozen of them led by one huge bear. Again his fellow humans let them bet right on top of him till they fired. The battle was short and soon they were off to the next ambush site.


	7. Day 5: February 15, 2525

**Day 5: February 15, 2525**

Andrew found himself once again tied with his hands over his heads; this time in what looked to be the courtyard of a very rich individual. At least the medication was working; his fever was gone. The aliens seemed to be taking their time coming which didn't bode well for his outstretched body. His shoulders ached not to mention his wrists chaffed from the ropes. He wasn't sure if he was thankful or not when the triangular head piece of an alien peeked over a fallen statue. It slowly walked out muttering something under its breath. He watched it curiously as it approached.

"Stupid humans," Andrew heard it mutter. He stared at the creature not quite believing he had heard it speak English. He continued to stare as it came up to him; its head lowered almost in resignation. The alien stopped a few inches from him and looked up. Andrew stared back into its red eyes.

"I am to take you prisoner," it shouted loudly before pulling out its gun and aimed at the rope above Andrew. Instantly several shots rang out. The small alien was dead before he hit the ground. That's when things turned bad. A massive ball was thrown into the courtyard right at Andrew's feet. Upon landing it opened up into a giant flare blinding him from seeing what was happening. Several of the bears followed by many little ones stormed the complex. All Andrew heard was the crackle of gunfire, the splat of plasma, and the boom of grenades.

Andrew cringed when he heard the victory roar from the aliens. They had laid their own trap and now he was all alone, still tied up, and most assuredly dead. As the flare died down he could see the aliens ripping apart the bodies of the other humans. The little ones seemed to especially delight in this task. To say he was scared would be an understatement; his whole body was shaking; his legs were unable to support him.

A rough and furry hand grabbed his head and jerked it up. Andrew found himself staring into the yellow eyes of a massive alien. He couldn't understand the words but he knew their meaning. He squeezed his eyes shut as it pulled out a long curved knife with a serrated edge. He whimpered as felt the sharp teeth rub against his neck; tearing a small cut in his skin. It stopped right above his jugular. Andrew could feel his pulse beating against the hard metal. He hoped this would be quick and painless.

From out of nowhere a shot rang out. Andrew felt the knife withdrawn and heard the oomph as the bear's body hit the ground. He opened his eyes as more shots followed. The giant brute in front of him was dead and the others were taking positions around the courtyard firing back at whoever was firing at them.

Plasma and pullets flew through the air. Frag grenades bounced on the concrete before exploding into a thousand pieces. From his hanging position Andrew tried to make himself as small as possible; not an easy thing to do stretched out as he was. An explosion at the other end ripped apart the wall enclosing the courtyard and three marines took up positions in the rubble. Taken by surprise, under fire from above, and now flanked, the aliens made a dash for the gate. Andrew didn't see the end of the fight. Between injuries and stress he had blacked out.

"I think he's coming around."

"Here, give him some water."

"Easy kid, not all at once… You gotta name?"

"A-A-An… Andrew," he said trying to shake the feverish fog from his mind. He looked warily at the six men standing around him. They were in what appeared to be a kitchen, though a gaping hole in the wall let light stream in.

"Andrew… That's a good name; my nephew's name," the man holding the canteen said. Andrew nodded his head in acknowledgement but said nothing. He clasped the jacket that had been draped over his shoulders

"We need to get moving," a man said gruffly, "Sun'll be up soon; not safe to travel."

"Can you walk son?" the man holding the canteen asked.

"I think so," Andrew answered weakly. He tried to get up but stumbled; the canteen man caught his arm and steadied him.

"Not so fast. You've lost a lot of blood and have a slight fever."

"Do you have my medical kit?" Andrew asked knowing he had fever suppressants in there.

"You mean this?" a short black man said holding up his leather satchel. Andrew could have shouted for joy; he had Sifa back. Instead he nodded weakly. "Found it on one of your friends."

"Ha," a tall man with a cowboy hat scoffed, "If those were his friends he doesn't need enemies."

"Keep it down. Doc, is the kid ready to move?" the gruff soldier said to the canteen man.

"Yes," Doc answered while pulling out the bottle of medication and giving Andrew a few pills, "But we're going to have to go slow."

"Pyro can always carry him," the gruff man said nodding towards a tall burly man carrying a jackhammer.

"Don't do diapers," Pyro retorted.

"You'll do what I order you too," the gruff man said. Andrew surmised he was the leader.

"I'll do what I need to do to survive," Pyro answered.

"Don't you think there are bigger things to fight than each other?" the cowboy hat interrupted getting in between the two.

"I think we need to get moving," one of the other soldiers said, "Sky's already turned grey and we're still a couple clicks from where we need to be."

"Pack up and head out," the leader ordered. "Whiplash," he continued to the man lounging against the refrigerator holding a sniper rifle, "Take rear. Strawberry," he said to a soldier with a shock of pale red hair, "Take point and Doc, make sure the kid can keep up. Cowboy, Pyro behind Strawberry." The soldiers fell into place and they began their journey. Andrew leaned against Doc for support as the headed through the gaping hole. His first step onto the rubble nearly caused him to fall and if it wasn't for Doc's tight hold he would have fallen head first down the rubble. His second attempt wasn't much better.

"He's still too weak," Doc said letting Andrew drop to a sitting position.

The leader snorted. "We don't have time for this," he said before nodding to Pryo The burly man clambered back up the pile and pulled Andrew to his feet. The sudden movement caused Andrew to throw up. Pyro pushed him away and Andrew fell to his knees retching. His head felt like it was going to explode.

"Hurry up," the leader said impatiently. Doc gave him a death glare. The other looked on with an air of disinterest as if these conflicts were normal.

"The kid needs rest," he protested.

"Well unless he wants it to be eternal, we need to get moving." Pyro picked Andrew up and flung him over his shoulders. "Can you handle him?" the leader asked.

"He's light enough; less then fifty kilos I'd guess."

"Good let's move out." The men fell into line. Pyro had a long steady gait that rocked Andrew into a state of near sleep. He was vaguely aware that they had left behind the rich district and were now making their way through the warehouse district. Huge silos hundreds of feet tall stored grain for transport to Utgard and then up the space elevator and to the rest of the UNSC colonies. Eventually the meds kicked in and Andrew started to squirm.

"Hold still kid," Pyro complained.

"I can walk," Andrew protested. Pyro set him down and instantly Doc was on him making sure he was fine. "I'm okay. I was just light headed before," he said.

"Is he good?" the leader asked.

"He's still got a slight fever but the meds should keep that down for a few hours. He's still weak though."

"I can keep up and if not I can survive on my own. Can I have my stuff back?" The satchel was tossed to him and Andrew caught it one handed. He placed the strap over his shoulder and slipped his hand into the bag to check what was there. "Did you happen to grab my pistol?" after finding everything including Sifa.

"This?" the leader said holding up the M6D, "I think I'll hold onto it for a little while."

Andrew shrugged before saying, "I call dibs when you die." That comment received a death glare from the leader.

"Cheeky one, aren't you," Strawberry said ruffling his hair.

"Independent," Andrew corrected.

"Move out," the leader barked, "And Doc, make sure the kid doesn't slow us down." With that they were off again; Doc always a few steps behind him. They continued through the warehouse district and into the small spaceport that served Gladsheim. The main control tower lay in pieces on the main landing pad. The still burning fuel depot cast the entire pre-dawn scene in a hellish light.

"Welcome to home," Cowboy hat said sarcastically to Andrew.

"We stay in the colonial militia bunkers underneath landing pad Gamma," Doc explained, "Most of them are dead now; tried to defend the whole city against the aliens instead of creating a safe zone and holding out till help came." They continued their journey to the far side of the spaceport and slipped into the underground bunker just as the sun peaked above the horizon.

The heavy metal door closed shut with a thud. It took a few minutes for Andrew's eyes to adjust to the darkness. It wasn't a very large place; most of it having caved in from bombardment of the above landing pad. Only a short hallway, two bedrooms, and a briefing room were still accessible. Cowboy, Whiplash, and Strawberry headed off into one room and the leader and Pyro went to the other.

"Get the kid set up in the briefing room," the leader shouted back to Doc, "There's no more room in here." Doc seemed to want to say something back but instead sighed and motioned Andrew to follow him. He instantly knew why no one wanted to sleep in the briefing room. As soon as the door was opened he was greeted with a blast of freezing cold air. Inside the room felt like a freezer. Doc turned on a lantern and soon Andrew knew why. The vents on the far side of the room were blasting out cold air.

"It's from the fire," Doc said. Andrew looked at him like he had grown a third head. "The spaceport computers have hijacked the ventilation system to cool the base as much as possible. Unfortunately the bombing damaged these vents and the computers can't close them. Over there will probably be the warmest spot," Doc continued pointing to a spot in which a large piece of concrete formed a lean-to facing away from the vents. "You'll find blankets and a propane stove over there along with other supplies. Help yourself to the food," Doc said before leaving.

Using the lantern Doc had left Andrew examined the room further. It was a large semi-circle with a raised platform at the far end. Large chunks of concrete from the roof had fallen and lay scattered about on crushed chairs. He walked over to the lean-to and investigated the supplies. There were two heavy blankets, one as bedding the other for cover, the promised stove for warmth, and several crates of food. He lit the propane stove; the jacket was insufficient to keep off the chill of the room, and grabbed a can of beans from a crate. He used his knife to open it and then placed it over the flame. While that was heating up he laid out one blanket then wrapped himself in the other before taking out the PDA.

"Andrew, I'm so sorry," were Sifa's first words when her hologram popped up.

"I'm alive and we're still together," Andrew answered turning to the stove and stirring the can of beans with his knife.

"I can't believe they did that to you and then let your wounds fester for hours before treating them. I'm shocked that, even after all that's happened, they treated you like a piece of meat. And to top it all off you get to sleep in a freezer," she seethed. "How are you doing?" she asked once she regained her composure.

"I'm not dead," he answered plastering on a fake smile to hide his tears. It was the first non-feverish moment he had to process what had happened the past few days.

"Are you crying?" Sifa asked softly. Andrew sniffed and brushed the tears away. The fake smile melted from his face.

"I'm fine. Just… tired."

"Do you want to talk about it?" He shook his head no. "Andrew, we're a team. We need to trust each other."

"I don't think I can do that again… Hey where'd you go!?" Andrew asked when her hologram disappeared.

"When you're ready to trust me again then we'll talk," she said.

"Are you having a fit? AI's can't do that; you're supposed to be logical… Sifa you come back out here… now!"

"Maybe when you have the decency to treat me like a…"

"Me!? You weren't the one tied helpless to a flagpole with one of those huge aliens taking swipes at you. You weren't the one left hanging as darts embedded in your side and exploded. You didn't have to look into those yellow eyes and see the hatred. You didn't cry yourself to sleep because the people you looked to protect you betrayed that trust. Because you were all alone, hurting, and the only way out you saw was death."

"How do you know that?" Sifa interrupted.

"Know what?" Andrew asked confused.

"That I didn't cry."

"You're a hologram; you can't cry," he said flatly turning back to the stove and stirring the beans.

"I'm based off a real human brain. I know what it's like to be happy, to love, and now to hate. You weren't the only one crying that night." Andrew brushed a few more tears away. "Do you want to talk," she said reappearing.

"I guess you already got me to," he replied a sad smiling playing at the corners of his mouth.

"I tried my best."

"I just… I was so scared. I can't describe how scared and alone it's like to be used as bait by people you thought were your friends. It's…" Andrew trailed off as he used the edge of the blanket to take the beans off the stove.

"It's what?" Sifa asked.

"It's depressing. As much as I think it's safe to trust these guys I can't. As soon as I'm well enough I want to strike out on our own again. I was doing alright by myself," Andrew said while scooping out some beans with his knife.

"We can think about that once your better," Sifa answered, "But for now I think you should eat and then get some sleep."

"Part one almost done," Andrew said showing her the half empty can.

"Wow, I knew teenagers ate a lot but that's amazing."

"And it's not easy trying to eat off a razor sharp knife either." After several minutes of playful banter Andrew turned the stove onto low and buried himself in the blanket for a long day's sleep.

"See ya in a few hours," he told Sifa as he turned the lantern off. After several minutes of tossing and turning he threw off his covers.

"Something wrong?" Sifa asked.

"Screw this. It's too cold. I'm going to sleep in the hallway," he announced. He switched on the lantern, grabbed Sifa and the blankets, and then headed out of the briefing room. The hallway was much warmer and just as dark. Andrew threw a blanket on the floor a few meters down the hall and then laid down on it. As a precaution he placed his knife by his head. In a few minutes he was sound asleep.

"AHHH!" Thud. "Damn kid!"

"Huh?" a drowsy Andrew moaned. "OWW!" a fully awake Andrew yelled when a foot collided with his side.

"You were told to sleep in the briefing room!" an angry voice said.

"You sleep in there," a miffed Andrew retorted rubbing his side.

"Why you little…" A hand grabbed Andrew's arm and pulled him closer. Andrew grabbed the knife a few feet away while kicking out at the attacker.

"Oomph," he heard as his foot made contact with flesh, though the attacker didn't let go. His arm was twisted and Andrew was flung awkwardly onto the floor. He felt the heavy weight of a body on him and quickly brought his knife up to the attacker's gut.

"What the hell!" the voice of the leader yelled as a light shown on the grappling pair. "WHAT THE…" the leader yelled as he saw Pyro on top of Andrew with a knife inches from his throat.

"Kid isn't doing to bad himself," Cowboy said light-heartedly noticing Andrew's own knife.

"Get off of him!" the leader yelled.

"Can't a guy get any sleep around here?" Strawberry complained walking out of his room followed by Whiplash. "Whoa!?" he said noticing the two on the floor, "Slightly out of his weight class don't you think Pyro?" Pyro snarled as he lifted himself off of Andrew. For his part Andrew felt like his head was splitting open. The adrenaline rush gone and his medication worn off Andrew felt like throwing up. So he did. He sat up, leaned away from the blankets, and regurgitated the beans.

"Out of the way," Doc said pushing through the crowd to Andrew. He knelt by his side and placed his hand on the teen's forehead. "His fever's worse," he announced.

"Give him some meds," the leader said gruffly. He looked at his watch before saying, "It'll be dark soon. We need to get ready to move out."

"The kid needs to rest," Doc protested easing Andrew back down onto the blankets.

"We don't have time to babysit. We've got to find a way to Utgard," the leader argued.

"Then you go ahead. I'll stay and watch over the kid."

"We might need you…"

"As if you couldn't do anything in the field that I could. Just stay out of trouble," Doc answered. They stared at each other for a moment but eventually the leader turned back to his room. He came out with his equipment.

"The kid might need this," he said tossing Doc Andrew's pistol, "He better get well quickly," he said as he left.

"How are you feeling?" Doc asked as everyone else left to prepare for the night's work.

"Like I got hit with a sledge hammer," Andrew answered.

"These should help some," the doctor said offering him some pills and a canteen. Andrew took them down in one swig.

"Thanks," he said.

"No need. They're your pills after all."

"I meant for not making me go with them."

"Oh," Doc said with an air of sad understanding. "Come on," he said helping Andrew to a sitting position, "I doubt those wounds of yours have been cleaned recently."

"Not today."

"Well I know of a place with hot water. I bet a bath would do you a lot of good."

"You don't know how good that sounds."

"I'll go prep it. You just lie here till the meds kick in," Doc ordered before heading outside. Andrew leaned over to the PDA. Sifa's hologram popped up.

"They're not so bad," she said.

"At least the doctor isn't. I'm not so sure about the others."

"Well at least we know they'll wait till you're healthy before they make a move."

"And I can definitely fake being sick long enough so I can leave if they plan on doing anything."

"Let's hope this bunch is better than the last."

"I doubt it. Did you see that guy try to kill me when he tripped over me?"

"I distinctly remember a cheeky retort somewhere during that episode," Sifa said.

"I'm always grouchy when I'm rudely awakened," Andrew said in his defense.

"And your illness doesn't seem to affect your mental capabilities as much as when under stress or when we're alone."

"Okay so I may be acting a little. This is a dog eat dog world; can't be too careful."

"But you can be overly pessimistic."

"Don't worry. The fact that they're trying to get to Utgard means they won't be caring to use me as bait; though I wouldn't put using me as fuel beyond them yet."

"I'm sure you'd make a fine fire. Either way a hot bath will be good for you wounds."

"Can't argue with that. Well, I'm going to get some sun before it sets. You wanna join me?"

"I'd love to." Andrew zippered his jacket up before picking up Sifa and heading outside. Outside the door he placed Sifa down then sat down next to her. He took a deep breathe as he soaked in the sun's warmth.

"I wonder where he got hot water from?" Andrew asked after a few minutes silence.

"There's a massive firing burning a few kilometers away. I bet something happened like the briefing room and the computer's too stupid to realize that," Sifa answered.

"Wow, I didn't know AI's were racist."

"Try hierarchical."

"Whatever," Andrew said lying on the ground. The sun was still half above the skyline of Gladsheim and a light breeze blew the smoke away from them. Like most Harvest winters it was extremely mild; warm enough to wear a t-shirt. He unzipped the jacket and tore off the remnants of his bandages letting the sun warm his bruised and cut torso.

"Wow, I didn't realize… Does it hurt much?" Sifa asked.

"Not when on meds," Andrew replied with a goofy grin.

"It will be good to clean it and then the doctor can bandage it properly."

"Sounds good to me," Andrew said closing his eyes and enjoying the warmth. He imagined himself back on the farm; reading a book under the huge oak tree out on a small hill near the house. The setting sun warmed his body while he worked through Arabian Nights in the original Arabic for the Old Man. Suzie was riding her pony around the barn and his brothers were just returning from work in the fields. The delicious smell of his mom's stuffed peppers wafted through the air. His dad was by the tool shed working on a broken harvester. He took a deep breathe and coughed. Gone was the sweet, earthy smell that made you feel alive; replaced with ash and smoke. Harvest had been the very definition of tranquility. Now it was hell.

"Hey kid, you ready?" Doc asked coming up.

"Yeah," Andrew said letting out his held breath.

"Remembering the old times?"

"Yeah," Andrew said opening his eyes. Doc proffered a hand and helped Andrew to his feet.

"It's all we got now," Doc said staring at Andrew, "Memories." Andrew looked down not sure what to say. Doc let him go and started walking to the fire. Andrew picked up the PDA and followed him. This was the first time Andrew got a good look at Doc. He was a young man, mid twenties Andrew guessed, with black hair and grey eyes. He wasn't too tall, a hundred eighty centimeters about, and though thin he was far from skinny. It was obvious he was extremely fit.

"So how did you manage to get hot water?" Andrew asked after a few seconds.

"Literally a freak accident. A water main passes near the fire. Down the line it fractured and empties into a metal basin."

"Sounds like a good setup."

"Perfect. A hole near the bottom drains the dirty water away. Nothing could be better, though it is a little warm."

"I think I can handle a little discomfort."

"No doubt. How are you feeling?"

"Sore and tired, but the meds are working so the head ache's not so bad."

"I've brought some cream to help with your wounds. Once they're clean I'll rub it on and re-bandage them."

"Thanks."

"No need. It's what I've spent my life doing."

"Not everyone would use valuable medical supplies on a kid though." It wasn't long till they arrived at the metal basin. It stood a good two and a half meters high and about six meters in diameter. Broken steel girders provided a way to climb up. At the top a large chunk of concrete resting on the edge and a pile of rubble provided a deck of sorts where Doc had laid out two towels and medical supplies along with a set of combat fatigues.

"They're the smallest set I could find on short notice," Doc said.

"Thanks," Andrew answered awkwardly. He hadn't been expecting this much thoughtfulness from any of the soldiers.

"Well we probably want to finish this before nightfall," Doc said grabbing the hem of his shirt and pulling it over his head. Andrew unzipped the jacket. He unclasped his belt buckle and pulled it out of his jean loops before taking Sifa out of his pocket and placing her on the ground far from the water. Doc had already slipped out of his boxers and was lowering himself, slowly, into the steaming water. Andrew hesitated after he had taken off his jeans. He didn't like leaving himself so vulnerable.

"I won't bite. I promise," Doc said reassuringly. Andrew bit his lip trying to decide what to do. Doc swam to the other side to and turned away to give him some privacy. Andrew slipped off his boxers and lowered himself down. He gasped as his sore body hit the water. It was hot, just too hot, but it was doable and he would get used to it soon enough. Doc turned back around when he heard the small splash from Andrew entering the water.

"Soak for a few minutes before trying to clean the wounds," he instructed. Andrew swam away from the edge. He could feel his muscles relaxing from the warmth. This was the closest thing to heaven he had ever experienced. Doc swam over to him and began treading water.

"Do you have any broken ribs?" he asked.

"Can I just relax a few more minutes before we do the examine?" Andrew asked. Doc nodded his head and dove under water. He came up by the soap and began rubbing it over his body.

"So what was going on there with the aliens," Doc said breaking the silence. Andrew sighed. That was something he'd rather forget.

"It was pretty much what it looked like."

"Which was…?"

"The other humans were using me as bait. The aliens got wise to the scam and ambushed them. And that was that," Andrew shrugged like it was no big deal.

"How many times did they…" Doc trailed off trying to find the right words.

"Seven," Andrew said quietly knowing what he meant.

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault."

"The depths people fall to," Doc mumbled to himself. Feeling awkward Andrew dived under water and came up on the far side of the little pool. The space port, or what was left of it, lay before him. The huge silos lay toppled on their sides, some spewing voluminous quantities of smoke. The fuel depot burned brightly in the distance off to his right sending more black smoke into the air. It looked like hell which wasn't too far from the truth.

"You ready now?" Doc asked swimming up beside him.

"Sure," Andrew answered.

"Let's head over there," he said pointing to the concrete deck, "It'll be easier out of the water." They swam over and Andrew pulled himself out of the water. He shivered as a slight breeze caught his skinny body. "You can lie down on this," Doc said placing a towel nearby. Andrew moved over to it and lay on his stomach. "I'll try to keep this simple," Doc said as he ran his hands over Andrew's legs. They had several cuts and bruises but Doc didn't feel any broken or sprained bones. He moved up to his arms, saving his torn torso for last, and again was thankful nothing was broken. "I need you to sit up now." Andrew complied and Doc carefully pressed his fingers against his ribs. "I need you to tell me if something other than these bruises hurt when I press," he said when Andrew started fidgeting from a light touch. The teen nodded his assent. Doc moved down the left side of Andrew's rib cage. It wasn't till he hit the seventh that he Andrew cringed and started breathing harder. "It's not broken so my guess is it's either a small fracture or more likely bruised."

"Which is better?"

"About the same. I'll tie the bandages around your chest a bit tighter to protect them." Doc moved on to the other side and found two more bruised ribs. "Alright, time to clean those cuts. Go ahead and get back in the water and clean yourself up." Andrew nodded and hurried back into the hot water. The setting sun, slight breeze, and the fact that it was winter didn't make being out that enjoyable. He grabbed the bar of soap and gingerly began to scrub his body. It stung but he didn't mind it. This pain was supposed to help.

"Think fast," Doc called. Andrew turned in time to catch a small bottle of shampoo. He squirted a small portion out and lathered his hair. He dove under water and rinsed it out. It felt so good getting all the grease and grime out. He shampooed it once more before getting out. A fully dressed Doc threw him a towel. Andrew quickly dried off and slipped on the pair of boxers lying with the fatigues though they felt more like shorts than underwear.

"This will probably sting a lot," Doc said as he approached with a bottle of something. Andrew simply raised his hands over his head and looked towards downtown Gladsheim. The cream stung alright and Andrew gasped when Doc first applied it. "You okay?" Doc asked pausing from his ministrations.

"Yeah. Just didn't think it would be that bad."

"It's some of the strongest stuff I've got, but since you smelled like a sewer I felt you needed something potent. A bad infection is not something we can afford now." Doc continued and soon had Andrew's whole upped body up to his neck covered in the stuff. "Is it alright if I start on your legs?"

"Sure why wouldn't it be?" Andrew asked.

"I just don't know what they did, that's all," Doc answered.

"Nothing like what you're thinking. They just roughed me up a bit."

"Just being careful. I know this must be hard on you."

"I'm alive; that's all that matters." Doc opened his mouth to respond but decided against contradicting Andrew. He carefully applied the cream to the cuts on Andrew's legs.

"Where'd this bruise come from?" he asked noticing a perfectly round black mark on Andrew's thigh.

"Rubber bullet. I tried to escape," the teen answered without emotion. Doc sighed sadly before picking up a role of bandages.

"Hold this here," he said pressing the bandage tightly against Andrew. He then wound it tightly around his torso almost up to his armpits before cutting and pinning it. "That good?"

"I don't think I'll be breathing much," Andrew answered. Doc smiled. Humor was a good sign. Andrew grabbed the fatigues and began to dress. The pants were a little long and he had to roll the cuffs up to not trip over them and the belt had to be tightened till it almost went around him twice. The olive green shirt went down half way between his waist and knees and had to be tucked into his pants. The coat sleeves were folded back several inches but he could do nothing about the width of the shoulders. He felt like he was wearing his dad's clothes.

"What's that?" Doc asked when he saw Andrew slip something into his pocket.

"Just a picture of my family and a piece of my best friend's jacket."

"May I see?" Doc asked. Andrew handed the two pieces over. Doc just glanced at the orange fabric before staring intently at the family of six in the picture. "I'm sorry. I'm sure you miss them a lot."

"I'm trying not to think about that yet," Andrew answered while putting on the black combat boots which surprisingly weren't outrageously big, "I still need to get out of here alive."

"You're doing a good job so far," Doc said while he handed back the memories, "Got any plans after you get off Harvest?"

"I have an Uncle on Reach who has been offering to help me get into a university or military academy there. I think I'll take up his offer."

"Already thinking about college?" Doc asked. Young teens generally didn't begin to plan for that till their parents started pestering them their junior year.

"I can pick up languages pretty fast. I'm already fluent in most of the major earth ones so people are already talking about it to me."

"Could you learn the alien language?" Doc asked. Andrew thought about that for a second. He hadn't thought of that before. It would be hard since he wouldn't have a tutor and the language would probably be nothing like any human one he had encountered but the payoff would be huge. If he ever got off this planet his skills would be invaluable to the UNSC.

"I think I could but I'd need a little help from an alien."

"We'll see what we can do about that." Doc gathered the towels and medical supplies and headed back to the bunker. Andrew picked up his stuff and quickly chased after him. The sun was almost beneath the horizon now and Andrew had trouble picking his way across the rubble. Once in the bunker Doc told Andrew to heat a can of beans while he put away the supplies. Andrew headed to the briefing room turned on the burner. A few minutes later Doc came in.

"So what are we going to do now?" Andrew asked as he stirred the contents of the can.

"The others won't be back till almost dawn so I was thinking we would go on a small mission ourselves."

"Like what?" Andrew asked warily.

"Nothing that involves shooting hopefully but I was thinking we could find a long range radio and see who we could pick up."

"Any ideas where we could find one?" Andrew asked.

"We just transferred here last month. I was hoping you might know of a place or two."

"The only two I know of is the one used by the government atop the hotel and the other used to be at my place but I'm pretty sure it got destroyed by the aliens. They used my farm for target practice."

"Then the hotel it is. I just hope they haven't blasted it to pieces yet," Doc said. Andrew didn't quite have his sentiments. The hotel had been one of the places they had… Well he was trying to forget about that but he definitely wasn't thrilled to be going back there. The beans were bubbling now so Andrew took them off the burner. Doc produced two tin cans and spoons divided the meal. In not time they were eating. Dinner was a silent affair both too hungry to spare time on small talk. When they were done Doc took the utensils.

"I'll pack my stuff and then come back and get you. Make sure you bring whatever you think you'll need." Once he was gone Andrew practically dove for Sifa.

"What do you think?" he asked her.

"I haven't noticed anything that would indicate danger. He probably wants to escape just as much as you do."

"Do you think the transmitter atop the hotel will work?"

"I don't know. Your best bet might be to try the lab I was in. That I know will still work and will definitely be better than anything the planet government set up."

"I'll suggest it to him. Could you prepare a map for us? I don't think I could find it from here."

"Will do," Sifa said before disappearing. Andrew grabbed his satchel and checked it to make sure everything was there. He pulled out the pistol, swapped magazines and attached the holster before he hooked the knife sheath to his belt. The binoculars were in the satchel and he pulled them out to make sure they were still working after the past few days. Once he was satisfied he exited the briefing room and waited in the hall for Doc. He came out a few minutes later with a backpack and gun.

"Take this," he said handing Andrew a cocktail of pills and glass of water.

"What are they?"

"Fever suppressants, antibiotics, painkillers, energy pills; enough to keep you going for the next few hours."

"Thanks," Andrew said shoving the pills in his mouth and gulping the glass of water.

"Don't mention it. Ready to go?"

"Yeah, but I think I've got a better transmitter for us to find. It's farther away but is a lot better than the hotel one and probably has fewer aliens too."

"Where is it?"

"Here," Andrew said pulling out the PDA and pushing a button hoping Sifa realized he needed the map now. A hologram of the city popped up and a flashing green dot showed the location of the ONI lab.

"That's on the other side of the industrial district," Doc said.

"But I know for a fact that the transmitter was working a few days ago. I was over there before… when I was with the others," Andrew said.

"And I guess there is less chance of detection than in the center of town."

"Definitely, we can be there and back in under five hours."

"Alright let's do that," Doc said leading the way out of the bunker. Andrew followed him back outside and across the rubble strewn landing pad. Doc kept up a brisk pace till they came to the fence enclosing the spaceport. It didn't look like it could keep anybody out now. "Lock and load kid. This is where the fun begins." Andrew suppressed a laugh at Doc's attempt at macho attitude, but he did check to make sure there was a round in the chamber and that his safety was on. However, Doc took his saying seriously. The trek across the spaceport had been a jog; Doc started this journey by carefully peering down the street before waving Andrew to quickly cross. "Get those binoculars ready. We may need them," Doc ordered. Andrew quickly took them out and hung them around his neck. Doc led them down the street, staying in the shadows and pausing at every cross road. As funny as it was Andrew couldn't deny Doc knew how to move around a hostile city.

Progress was slow the first few kilometers but thankfully uneventful. As Andrew had told Doc that the other humans were encamped downtown they skirted around its edge. Andrew wasn't sure how to feel when he saw columns of smoke rising from that area. In the end he hoped both sides had killed each other. They were only a few hundred meters from their destination when Doc held up his hand to halt.

"What is it?" Andrew whispered.

"A patrol," Doc hissed back. Andrew turned the safety off on his pistol.

"Anyway we can get around them?"

"It looks like their headed to the same place we're going."

"Damn!" Andrew exclaimed in frustration.

"Do you know of another way in?" Doc asked.

"Yeah, let me see if this thing has a map of the sewers," Andrew said. Sifa took the hint a displayed a map with the closest sewer entrance marked in red.

"That's only a couple blocks from here."

"Let's just hope the aliens are smarter than us and stay out of the sewers," Andrew said. Doc nodded a hasty assent and then backtracked a few blocks before heading to their destination.

"That's the one," Andrew said pointing to a metal disk in the road. Doc found a piece of rebar and pried the cover off.

"No way to get down," Doc said examining the hole with his flashlight. Andrew cursed silently. He had forgotten about the lack of ladders.

"Could we jump?" Andrew asked.

"It's a good seven or eight meters to concrete. I wouldn't."

"So what are we going to do?"

"Ever repelled before?" Doc asked putting his pack down and taking out a rope.

"No," Andrew said looking at the rope warily. Ever since a rope had snapped while he had been pruning one of the giant fruit trees on his farm he had never really trusted them again. That was also the incident when he realized he wasn't cutout to be an ODST.

"No time like the present to learn."

"Couldn't you just lower me?"

"And deprive you of a valuable learning experience?" Doc said sporting a huge grin. Andrew groaned.

"What's first?" he grumbled.

"Find an anchor for the rope; that piece of rubble should do fine," Doc said before tying the rope around an exposed piece of rebar. "Now stand over the rope like this," Doc said while standing over the rope with his back to the hole, "And then take the free part and pass it over your right shoulder and then across your chest and into your left hand."

"Then what?"

"Then you start your descent. Your left hand feeds the rope and your right controls the descent."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

"No harnesses, carabiners, or safety lines?"

"This is how they did it back in the olden days when horses were still the main mode of transportation."

"This is crazy."

"The other option is to fight a squad of covenant."

"Give me that," Andrew said grabbing the rope and doing like Doc had shown him.

"Now lean back and slowly descend. It should be tightest around your thighs and you should feel the tension along your back. If you're going too fast squeeze the rope with your right hand."

"Sounds like a recipe for a rope burn," Andrew commented.

"Just a second," Doc said as he returned to his pack. He took out an old t-shirt and tore it into strips. "Give me your hands," he said. Andrew did and Doc wound the cloth around his hands. "That should offer some protection."

"I guess I'm good to go now," Andrew said. Doc guided him to the hole.

"Take it slow and easy now. Don't over exert yourself; you're still weak."

"I feel like I could run a mile. I wish I had those pills when I had to do early morning chores on the farm." Andrew slowly lowered himself into the hole. He kept himself at roughly a forty five degree angle during the descent. He slowly began feeding the rope while keeping a strong grip with his right. He definitely didn't want to go too fast. Half way down and he felt he was getting the hang of it. Until his foot hit a slippery patch and he lost his grip. He only had time to think, "Oh crap," before he fell the remaining three meters to the concrete sewer.

"Andrew!" Doc yelled while Andrew gasped for breath on the sewer floor.

"I'm fine," Andrew yelled back and truthfully once he got his breath back he didn't feel too bad; had to be the drugs. "There's a slippery patch about half way down. Watch out."

"I'll be right down. Check yourself for any broken bones," Doc said. Andrew saw the rope disappear up the hole. He pulled himself into a sitting position and began doing as Doc said. Other than a few scrapes and bruises he didn't find anything wrong though he guessed once his meds wore off that would change. Doc took only a few seconds to descend and he was instantly next to Andrew pressing his fingers against his ribs.

"I'm fine," Andrew said pushing Doc's hands away.

"Just making sure," Doc said before helping him to his feet, "You've got a cut on your forehead but it doesn't look serious." Andrew wiped his hand on his forehead and examined it. Sure enough there was blood though he didn't feel anything. Drugs were so awesome.

"It can wait. There should be some medical supplies inside."

"How much farther is it?"

"Not sure. A few hundred meters at most," Andrew said pointing in the direction of the secret entrance.

"You sure you're okay?" Doc asked one more time.

"Yeah, though I'd feel a lot better if we were in that building."

"Alright but we're going to take this slowly."

"You're the doctor," Andrew shrugged before heading off down the sewer. Doc was close behind. It wasn't long till they arrived at the end of the tunnel.

"Looks like someone misread the blueprints," Doc commented staring at the wall of concrete in front of him.

"Yeah," Andrew answered while standing in front of the keypad. Sifa displayed the password for him. "Except this sewer can do this," Andrew said while he punched in the numbers. The wall opened up with a groan. They quickly entered and the door closed behind them.

"Looks like a lab," Doc commented.

"It is. Crop research. Those vials are samples of genetically modified seeds," Andrew said pointing to the refrigerators along the wall.

"I guess Harvest would be the best place for that stuff. So where is this radio you were talking about?"

"I don't know exactly where it is but I know how to find out," Andrew said before climbing the stairs to the second floor closely followed by Doc. He returned to the room he had found Dorothy and took out the PDA. He removed Sifa and returned her to her original slot. Doc looked on with interest. A schematic of the building popped up with a green flashing dot.

"That's just down the hall," Doc said before quickly leaving the room. Andrew pulled Sifa back out and followed Doc. They entered a room filled with equipment. Unfortunately it didn't look like it had power.

"Now what do we do?" Andrew said as he flipped a switch and nothing happened.

"You could ask your friend?" Doc answered.

"Huh?" Andrew said in confusion.

"I'm not that stupid. You have some sort of AI in that device. I realized that as soon as you took the chip out."

"Oh… you're not going to uh… take..."

"As far as I'm concerned she's yours till we get off this planet, but the others might not feel that way so let's keep this under raps, OK."

"Awesome. Thanks so much. I would have told you sooner but after the last people I met I wasn't sure if I could trust you and she's been a big help since I found her."

"Good. So are you going to introduce me to her?"

"Oh, right. Sifa, you can come out now." Sifa's hologram popped up above the PDA. "Doc, this is Sifa. Sifa, Doc."

"Glad to finally meet you," Doc said, "But if I may ask, what kind of AI are you?"

"A full blown creative AI. She's up there with the most advanced AI's in the UNSC," Andrew added excitedly.

"Thank you Andrew," Sifa said, "But I'm actually one of the two most advanced AI's in the UNSC."

"Sorry," Andrew muttered.

"It's good to no we have a thinker amongst us," Doc said, "So what do you think about the power."

"It's an isolated problem since most of the systems are still online. Plug me back into the mainframe and I'll see what I can find." It didn't take her long to find the problem once she was in the mainframe. A circuit breaker had flipped and needed to be switched back. "It's located at the bottom of a ventilation shaft on the far side of the lab," Sifa concluded.

"Does it have a ladder?" was Andrew's first question. After his last repelling attempt; he wasn't keen to try that again.

"No, it's too small to have a ladder or even repel."

"So how do they expect anyone to get down there?" a frustrated Andrew asked.

"A service elevator that has collapsed."

"Stupid aliens," Andrew muttered.

"So how are we going to reach it then?" Doc asked.

"My suggestion is one of you, probably Andrew since he's the smallest, is lowered by his feet to the panel."

"Great, upside down and heights are just awesome," Andrew grumbled, "Well let's get going. I want to get this over with as soon as possible." Andrew took Sifa out of the computer and she led them to the service shaft.

"So how far down does this go?" Doc asked as he took out another rope from his pack while Andrew took off the shaft covering.

"About fifteen meters," Dorothy answered.

"That leaves us with plenty of rope."

"Except I don't think I can fit in this," Andrew said. Doc came over and stared at the shaft. It was really small even for Andrew's stature.

"This does pose a problem," Doc mused rubbing his chin, "I know…" A few minutes later he stood there, with a gel he had found in the lab, telling Andrew to strip to his boxers.

"I hate this idea," Andrew muttered.

"If you're shy, we have already seen everything," Sifa consoled.

"And this gives us a few more millimeters to work with plus you'll slide down easier."

"But what if the aliens come? I'll be stranded down there in just my boxers."

"We'll be sure to throw your clothes down there so you can die with your dignity still intact," Doc retorted. Andrew snorted in response.

"Pervert."

"It's not like I haven't seen everything already," Doc protested, "We went skinny dipping together."

"That's why I think you're a pedophile. Sifa, if he tries anything, you know what to do."

"What is that?"

"I don't know, shock him with the PDA or collapse the building on him."

"I don't think that's possible," Sifa answered.

"Just make sure I survive this time," Andrew ordered as he pulled his shirt over his head.

"I believe I have an unblemished record," Sifa retorted. Andrew undid his belt and pushed the fatigues to his ankles. There was no need to undo the button they were so large. He slipped them over his feet and then nodded to Doc who began fastening the rope around his ankles. He didn't feel too naked since the large boxers felt more like swim trunks than underwear.

"Now for... this stuff," Doc said as he opened the jar and smeared some on Andrew's shoulders and arms.

"You sure this stuff is safe," Andrew said taking a whiff and scrunching his nose up at the smell. "It smells like horse crap and trust me, I know what horse crap smells like."

"It's supposed to help heal wounded trees faster. In only a couple of hours supposedly," Sifa answered.

"Wow, that's useful. Did it work?"

"Not yet. It ended up killing most of the trees."

"What!?" Andrew squealed and pulled away from Doc.

"Don't worry," Sifa assured, "It's non-reactive with human skin."

"Yeah, and ONI's never tried to weaponize plants before."

"That's classified."

"Whatever," Andrew said as he returned to letting Doc smear the gel on him. The whole time Doc had smiled widely at the banter between computer and teen. It was almost normal. Doc finished smearing the gel on Andrew and led him over to the service shaft. Andrew got on his hands and knees and peered down into the shaft.

"You sure this'll hold me?" he asked Doc.

"It's certified for 1300 kilos," Doc answered.

"Just making sure," Andrew said as he began his decent. Doc pulled back on the rope to give Andrew support and he slowly let more out as Andrew disappeared.

"How are you doing?" Doc shouted.

"Fine. It's really tight though. My shoulders feel like the skin is being scraped off."

"Just take it slowly. We're in no rush."

"Says you. It's freezing down here," Andrew shouted back. He continued to slowly lower himself down the hatch, trying as much as possible to keep the skin on his shoulders. It wasn't an easy task. The rough concrete had already drawn blood even with the gel. He hoped it didn't react with blood.

"So what do I do when I find the box?" Andrew shouted up.

"Sifa says you flip the switch," Doc shouted back.

"Which one?"

"The one that's not like the others." Doc slowly released more of the rope. He thought it was good that he was livelier but it also concerned him. Just a few hours ago the boy had been scared of his own shadow. The boy had definitely brightened up. "Is this more normal for him?" Doc asked Sifa, "His emotional state that is."

"I can't be certain. I met him after his family's death. I'm more inclined to say this is how he deals with it. The psychological shock to a thirteen year old boy would be great; too much for him to deal with it and survive as well as he has."

"I guess that's an answer… Damn, I can't even begin to imagine how he will deal with this."

"You guess is as good as mine. Andrew unfortunately saw his family killed. I have historical anecdotes to rely upon but the manner of this killing is completely different and the experiences he has had since, complicate the matter even more."

"Sounds like we'll have to make sure he's not going to do something drastic."

"I don't think there are any worries, though it would be nice to have someone who can physically stop him if he ever gets a crazy idea."

"I'll try my best."

"Hey guys," Andrew shouted up from below, "You know this service shaft acts like a conduit… for sound waves. And Sifa, when have I ever had a crazy idea? I'll let your circuits work that out while _Doc_ LET'S OUT MORE ROPE."

"Sorry about that," Doc said as he realized he had tightened his grasp on the rope. "And I don't think you're insane, for the record."

"Well if you and Sifa suggest anymore of these hair-brained ideas, I'm going to have to declare you two as such."

"Just remember who's holding the rope," Doc retorted.

"I dare you, but back to the job at hand, I can see the box now."

"Just say when to stop," Doc answered.

"Stop. Damn it, there's a keypad on it. Sifa, got any ideas?"

"77149," Sifa answered.

"Awesome." Andrew punched in the password and the lock clicked. He opened it up only to find another problem: half the switches were thrown one way and the other half were the other way. Plus the stupid people at ONI hadn't labeled anything. "We've got another problem," Andrew yelled up. After he explained the issue Sifa came up with a plausible solution.

"I need to go to the terminal for the manual," she said, "Doc will tie the rope off and we'll be back in a few minutes. Is that alright with you?"

"Not like I have a choice," Andrew shouted back, "Just hurry." He felt the rope slacken for a second as Doc tied it off. It wasn't a problem as he was wedged in so tightly he could have stayed there for hours if necessary.

It had been less than a minute when Luke felt a rumbling in the shaft walls. Considering he was in the middle of a war zone, he didn't think much of it. Probably just a passing alien tank. That opinion changed quickly when the rumbling turned into severe shaking.

"Doc? Sifa?" Andrew called out. No answer. He rearranged himself so he could look up the shaft. All he saw was the dim light of the lab lights. "Sifa?" Andrew cried out again. No answer and the shaking was getting stronger. He moved again and began attacking the knot about his ankles. He needed freedom of movement right now. Unfortunately, Doc was a good knot tier and from his bad position, he couldn't even feel where to start.

"SIFA! DOC!" Andrew shouted in desperation. The shaking was even worse and if the shaft had been any bigger, he was sure he would have been severely bruised from banging against the walls. He wished he had kept his knife; then, at least, he would have been able to cut the rope. Cracks began to appear in the concrete walls as the shaking grew more violent.

"SOMEBODY GET ME OUT OF HERE!" Andrew screamed. As he finished there was a loud boom quickly followed by an immense shockwave. The cracks in the shaft widened and a chunk of concrete above the teen dislodged and plummeted towards him. Andrew screamed and closed his eyes. Of all the ways he'd thought he would die these past few days, this was not one of them. Just as he the piece of concrete was about to hit him, Andrew felt the wall next to him give way and he plummeted to the floor below. It was the last thing he remembered.


End file.
